Photo By Cpl. Daniel Blatter | With locals watching the progress, Eric Motz, Navy chief hospital corpsman, the senior...... read more read more
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NOW ZAD, Afghanistan – The population of Now Zad is growing at a rapid rate. However, if the towns' medical facility doesn't grow with the population, the people won't be able to get the care they deserve.
Navy personnel from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, and Afghan medical professionals are working on ways to keep up with the high demand for medical support in this growing area by building on the facilities they have now.
"There is virtually no health care here," said Chief Eric Motz, the senior department medical representative for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2. "They only have one doctor and a pharmacist, and when I went through their medicine, over three quarters of their medication was expired."
Motz is in the process of getting the word out about the condition of the medical facilities here.
"I am doing a medical assessment so the [senior officers] can get Now Zad what they need to survive," said Motz, from Pigeon, Mich. "The medical clinic they have here has only one trauma room and a female area with only one bed."
With the population of Now Zad climbing, Alpha Company is working tirelessly at expanding the town's medical capabilities.
"Right now the Now Zad area has more than 2,000 populous, and it is growing daily," said Motz. "My goal is to give them a solid foundation, a solid foundation they can build from. It is one thing to give them everything they need and say 'go fourth and do great things,' but if you give them a solid foundation and let them take ownership of it, they will turn around and build from it. I am just giving them a leg to stand on."
Motz and his team have spent the past two weeks clearing and working on a storage space next to the old clinic, which now houses two extra trauma beds to be used by local women.
"There is a big cultural issue with treating the males with females in the same clinic," said Maj. Richard Graham, the civil affairs team leader with Alpha Company. "It is important to create separation so the females will feel safe and not worry about getting harassed."
The new clinic area is now an area for females only. It will allow them the opportunity to be segregated and feel more secure.
"I dedicated the [women's medical center] to the female patients," said Motz. "That will open up the space for another trauma room in the old clinic as well."
"The ultimate goal here is to get the people to trust the doctor and the health care here, and to get to where they don't rely on us for medical care," Motz continued.
The Navy team will soon be starting reconstruction on the old clinic as well. They envision turning the old, two-bed clinic into a four-bed clinic and supplying both the women's and men's' clinics with all the equipment and supplies required to treat all patients in need.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2010 07:42 |
| Story ID: | 51053 |
| Location: | NOW ZAD, AF |
| Web Views: | 414 |
| Downloads: | 278 |
This work, Helping Now Zad locals help themselves, by Cpl Daniel Blatter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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