By Army Capt. Ashley Smith RSC-W Public Affairs
CAMP ZAFAR, Afghanistan — Herat Regional Medical Hospital transitioned from coalition forces responsibility to Afghan National Army control during a ceremony at Camp Zafar June 19.
The ceremony was attended by many distinguished guests including Gen. Mohammad Mustafa Sedeqi, deputy commander of the 207thANA Corps, Col. Abdul Ghani, commander of the hospital, U.S. Navy Capt. Joseph Kochan, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Deputy Command Surgeon, and U.S. Army Col. Keith Detwiler, Regional Support Command-West Commander, in addition to coalition mentors and many other ANA leaders.
After a brief prayer and the playing of the Afghan national anthem, Mustafa Sedeqi spoke about all the accomplishments the hospital staff has achieved over the past seven years.
“We have developed, we have improved a lot,” said Mustafa Sedeqi. “I am proud of my people.” He challenged the medical staff to now shift their focus to improving pre-hospital and point of injury care in addition to continuing to provide quality patient care in the hospital setting.
The Herat Regional Medical Hospital is a 100-bed facility built in 2006, and coalition forces have been mentoring here since that time. The primary beneficiaries of this facility are ANA soldiers, but the hospital also treats Afghan National Police and civilians as the need arises. The medical team provides medical evacuation support for the area as well as outreach to many surrounding troop medical clinics. In addition to direct patient care, medical supply and logistics, continuing medical education and preventative medicine services have been facilitated.
Kochan thanked everyone for their hard work over the past seven years. “The care at this hospital leads the Afghan nation,” he said. “Col. Ghani, your team is ready.”
The hospital was recently visited by the Joint Forces Medical Validation Team and achieved an overall CM-1A validation score of 99 percent. The inspection team surveys hospitals to ensure key aspects of direct patient care, medical documentation, and standard operating procedures meet identified standards.
“Patients arrive hurt, and they are made well. Soldiers will fight hard if they know medical personnel are behind them, ready to respond,” said Detwiler, when he spoke to the heart of the hospital’s mission. This hospital has an impact across the entire Corp, he said, and he encouraged the hospital staff to continue to work hard for both their fellow soldiers and the country of Afghanistan.
In his remarks, Ghani congratulated his team on its achievements. He thanked the mentors for all of their guidance and hard work. Speaking to his team, he said, the work is not yet done. There are still many areas for further improvement. But, Ghani added, we will get there.
To close the ceremony, documents were signed by both Ghani and Detwiler to officially transition responsibility for the hospital from coalition forces to the ANA. Afterwards, the Medical Training and Advisory Group mentors were honored by their Afghan counterparts with certificates of appreciation.
Date Taken: | 06.19.2013 |
Date Posted: | 07.19.2013 07:44 |
Story ID: | 110454 |
Location: | HERAT, AF |
Web Views: | 133 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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