How you can help
Donate funds, donate goods or donate your time !!
Donate funds
We use a great portion of our donations to transport medical equipment to Sri Lanka. Donations are also used to buy equipment in Sri Lanka to support the local economy and ensure the instruments can be serviced. PLEASE NOTE: AUSLMAT is now a fully sanctioned charity by the ATO which means your donations are tax deductible.
Examples of how donations are used include:
- Pillips Medical and Castan Foundation upgraded the cardiac unit at Karapitiya Hospital
- KCF franchises in Victoria bought a much-needed EEG machine for Karapitiya Hospital
- The annual AUSLMAT fundraiser established a diabetic unit with a nurse educator at Matara Hospital
- Grade three children at Grimwade House raised funds to puy asthma medication and wheelchairs
- Dr Stanley Rajapakse paid to refurbish the toilets in Empilipitiya Ward.
Donate goods
Hospital equipment such as anaesthetic machines, echocardiograms, dental chairs, monitors, hospital beds, wheelchairs, surgical instruments and commodes, have been donated and transported to Sri Lanka.
Donate your time
We openly welcome anyone to join us in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with. We have several non-medico members who help on our committee, and also join us on the medical missions. No specific expertise is required, as we have many organisational needs, especially when triaging their needs for a specific medico, reviewing and updating their medical journals, managing queues in the clinics, helping sort the donations, providing helping hands and especially support to those we’re helping. Enthusiasm and willingness is all you need !!
Who can join
In short, * A N Y O N E * – we only require enthusiasm and willingness to help this little pearl in the Indian Ocean to improve their health and wellbeing
Medical Practitioners
Nearly any type of discipline is welcomed. While we are strong in the cardiac area of health, we also welcome (and have had) optometrists, podiatrists, dentists and assistants, and also educators in the areas of diabetes and other wellbeing disciplines. Practicing students and interns have also benefited from these trips.
Non-medicos
There are a slew of logistics that go into planning a trip. A medical mission takes a significant amount of coordination whether one goes on the trip or not. Pre-planning is essential. Getting the donations organised, collected, sorted (in our container usually, or shared with another organisation), and any customs requirements is a lot of work. Then there’s working with the specific hospitals, clinics and orphanages to plan the days, times and types of services we will provide, as well as any ceremonials and “thank you” time. In addition, organising accommodation and transport are essential to meeting our commitments.
Once we’re in Sri Lanka, we need to stay organised and execute according to plan. Don’t worry – it’s not boot camp, as we do integrate some fun time and tours where appropriate. We generally appear at clinics where we need to set up a triage-like environment, and organise people according to their ailments. Something as simple as organising a queue and servicing people in an orderly fashion is a critical job. We also benefit from anyone who speaks the languages of Sri Lanka. This is probably one of the most needed skills in the non-medico area, but not necessary to join the trip at all.
Why you should help
Simply put, they need you and appreciate every ounce of help
Come along
One of the best answers we can provide to this question, is to “come along” (on one of our trips). The amount of fulfillment is overwhelming and you immediately see how your hard work has made a unique difference in people’s lives. The best support for our organisation are the testimonials from those who have seen the rewards first hand.
AUSLMAT is more than glad to connect you to either a medical practitioner or a non-medico who have first-hand experience on a trip, and can help explain the nature of the mission. We’re a friendly bunch !!
We still need help at home !!
Whether you decide to join a mission or not, the amount of preparation for the trip back home in Australia is still required. We do however need help in committee management. As we are a formal charity sanctioned by the Australian Tax Organisation (ATO), we have certain demands that are part of the required governance to maintain such a charitable status.
We also like varied opinions when making decisions, and people from any walk of corporate or public service life are welcome. The more diverse our people are, the more well-informed and solid decisions we can make, and continue to deliver high quality medical services and education. We need you !!
