A team of nine mental health professionals from the Pacific Medical Association (PACMAT) has been deployed to Vanuatu to provide support following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on December 17, 2024. This initiative is backed by the New Zealand government and aims to address the mental health needs of the affected population.

Dr. Staverton Kautoke, a member of the PACMAT team, highlighted the widespread impact of the disaster on mental health across various age groups. “I had to say the maturity of people—almost a hundred percent of people have been affected by this,”. He emphasized that responses to trauma can be quite traumatic themselves, leading to acute stress reactions among the population, from young children to the elderly.

Dr. Kautoke noted that recovery from such trauma typically takes time. “Within a month of an incident, people have acute stress reaction symptoms—poor sleep, a bit of anxiety, loss of appetite, a bit of worry, and all different kinds of symptoms,” he explained. He cautioned that the ongoing aftershocks could prolong the recovery process, stating, “I just want to reiterate the importance around the earthquake because of the aftershocks that kind of really heighten things again.”

Since their arrival, the PACMAT team has engaged with over 250 individuals affected by the earthquake. “We have data from the work that we were doing in the community; I think we have over 230 plus people that we have seen, including children, adults, and elderly people,” Dr. Kautoke reported.

Of the 253 individuals assessed, 228 received general medical checks, 135 are currently receiving mental healthcare, 42 participated in psycho-education sessions, and 15 are undergoing group therapy. The team’s holistic approach combines physical health checks with mental health support, recognizing the spiritual aspects of Vanuatu’s culture as part of the healing process.