Flying Hospitals to open local hub

Charity Global Flying Hospitals chairman Neill Newton chose Macau as its Asian hub ‘because it’s right in the geographical bull’s-eye, surrounded by developing countries’

Macau is set to become the Asian hub for charity Global Flying Hospitals (GFH), which wants to take high-tech medical cares to the developing countries in the region. The organisation signed a sponsorship agreement with a hotel chain but is also looking for partners to manufacture emergency shelters.
The US-based charity has been eyeing the MSAR for the last couple of years, founder and chairman Neill Newton said. “Macau is a far better place because it’s right in the geographical bull’s-eye, surrounded by developing countries,” he explained.
GFH is looking for funding of about USD 14 million (MOP 112 million) to turn two Boeing 747 into training hospitals and Newton believes it will be cheaper to do it in the territory. “We are close to Xiamen, where we can get refurbishing at a much lower price and the same for airplane servicing in Hong Kong,” he said.
The charity still needs to get the approval from local authorities to station its fleet in Macau. “We know it’s a small airport with limited parking space. But we are confident most of our fleet will be out on the field at any time,” the Australian national said.
The president of the Civil Aviation Authority (AACM), Simon Chan Weng Hong, confirmed to Macau Daily Times that so far he had not been contacted by GFH. “I’m not yet familiar with their operation model,” he said on the sidelines of the sponsorship signing ceremony.

Humanitarian studies

The charity is now sponsored by Sofitel hotel chain but it is also looking for partners to start manufacturing emergency shelters in the MSAR. “We were speaking to the Detroit airport authorities but it’s too expensive to do it there. Each shelter would cost from USD 6,000 to 7,000 [MOP 48,000 to 56,000],” Newton said.
The process would not only involve shelters big enough for 16 people but also sanitation, water purification and solar power generation, he explained. “There are no talks yet but we are open to discussions with anyone interested.”
The entrepreneur believes the territory can become a humanitarian hub. “Most people in Australia haven’t heard of Macau or if they did it was all about gaming,” he bemoaned. GFH and the manufacturing of shelters would bring “the focus of international media on Macau,” Newton promised.
He is also interested in talking to the University of Macau on the possible creation of a chair on Humanitarian Studies.
“There are thousands of volunteers and charities working worldwide but there is no place where you can learn how to carry out humanitarian work. A chair on Humanitarian Studies would draw people from all over the world,” the businessman stressed.
GFH has already worked with refugees from the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Japan tsunami but is now keen on providing logistics to medical charities. “Can’t we send a high-tech hospital to people in need instead of sending volunteers to makeshift facilities?” Newton said.