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From ABC News Online

Tsunami aid breast implants 'inappropriate'

An Australian medical specialist says a large amount of donated supplies, such as breast implants, sent to the tsunami-effected region of Banda Aceh are clearly inappropriate and will never be used.

Jan Rice, from Monash University's Victoria College of Pharmacy, travelled to the area with AusAID three months after the disaster to assist and educated staff at the general hospital.

Ms Rice, who specialises in wound care, says some of the goods donated were not used because of drugs being out of date, or supplies such as breast implants being inappropriate for the devastated area.

She says the hospital was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of donated medical supplies and sent it to a nearby storeroom.

"I found a box with breast implants in it and drugs out of date," she said.

"So ceiling-to-floor of donated boxes in various states of disrepair because the humidity's 120 per cent and cardboard obviously softens, so if there were heavy items in the box, then the bottom would've fallen out of it and then the box would've been carried into an area and then just dumped in there.

"We had various equipment that was not complete so there were parts missing so that couldn't be used.

"Some fairly intricate intensive care equipment but they didn't have an intensive care unit and they didn't have intensive care-trained staff."