Courtesy Photo | Col. Italo Bastianelli, 41st Fires Brigade Surgeon, and Pfc. Krystal Smith watch as...... read more read more
By Sgt. Daniel T. West
41st Fires Brigade
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – Medical personnel from the 41st Fires Brigade teamed up with Iraqi counterparts to provide free medical treatment to patients at the al Shifa clinic in al Kut Nov. 13 as part of Operation Bring on the Docs.
The activity was the last in al Kut for a time, as the operation, part of an overall health care plan titled Operation Gunner Med, is scheduled to branch out to other communities in Wasit province.
Over the course of 11 missions in al Kut and al Hayy, Operation Bring on the Docs provided mentorship for 68 doctors and nurses and aided in the treatment of 2,082 local citizens.
"It's been very well received, both by the doctors and the local populace," said Col. Italo Bastianelli, 41st Fires Bde. surgeon. "We assist them with building capacity so they can care for their patients and develop their own skills so they can better treat the population."
"The overall operation is designed to assess the condition of the infrastructure so we can find the areas they need to improve," Bastianelli added.
Coalition forces conduct medical and engineering surveys at ministry of health medical facilities, based on recommendations from the deputy governor of health, Iraqi security forces or local provincial council officials with the intent of improving the MoH infrastructure to standards.
"They let us know what needs to be done, and we do what we can to facilitate it," he said.
Infrastructure improvement projects include improvements in electrical power, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, clean water and onsite, operational latrines, security and access. Projects are also undertaken to improve availability of basic medical equipment and supplies.
"Continuing medical education is also part of the program," said Bastianelli. "Our mentorship program includes both a Forward Operating Base-based training program and work outside the wire with Bring on the Docs."
In the mentorship program, Iraqi health professionals are partnered with CF professionals in training programs and professional continuing medical education programs to build skill sets and increase their medical capabilities, Bastianelli said.
Two deputy governor of health-sponsored, Iraqi-led conferences are scheduled for November and December as well, he said. The first will be a maternal child care conference and the second a primary and preventive care clinical practice update.
The operation is designed to turn a downward trend since 1979 in provider skill, resources and medical capabilities as resources were diverted away from the healthcare system under Saddam Hussein's regime, said Bastianelli.
The situation has further deteriorated since 2003, as many physicians have either fled or been killed. Only 45 percent of physicians who registered with the MoH remain in Iraq.
The Iraqi MoH continues to lag behind its regional contemporaries, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria and Saudi Arabia; as well as its own standards set before 2003.
The decreased provider resources and skills have resulted in the loss of public confidence in the MoH's capabilities, he concluded.
Gunner Med is designed to set the stage to restore the public's confidence in the Iraqi healthcare system in Wasit province and is the first large scale operation of its type in the province since 2003.
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2008 03:44 |
| Story ID: | 26478 |
| Location: | AL KUT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 318 |
| Downloads: | 250 |
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