508th PIR provides medical assistance at local hospital

05.07.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

By Army Pfc. Micah E. Clare
Task Force Fury Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GHAZNI, Afghanistan — The long lines of patients waiting outside the Miri District Hospital are evidence that the four doctors there see and treat overwhelming numbers of people every day.

However, without the proper equipment and training, they can only do so much, which is why paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division are stepping in to help.

During a series of visits to the free clinic, paratroopers from 3rd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team based at Firebase Miri, worked on making arrangements for a Medical Education Civil Action Program to bring better medical supplies and training to the understaffed, under-equipped hospital.

At a recent district meeting, the local representative from the Ministry of Health talked about how poor the health care system in the area was, said Army 1st Lt. Jonathan Lum, platoon leader for 3rd Platoon.

"We checked it out and recommended to our chain of command that we do a medical engagement there," he said.

On their second follow up visit to the hospital, Lum met with several of the hospital staff, and asked them about the challenges they face, and what they needed to help overcome those challenges themselves.

"We see from 250 to 300 people a day," said Dr. Habib Ullah, a doctor at the clinic.

People travel to the clinic from many miles away, because it is free, he explained.

Ullah and his staff are faced with many different medical cases such as orthopedic injuries, birth complications and appendicitis, just to name a few. It's a challenge to properly treat all of the patients due to their lack of properly trained nurses and adequate supplies.

"If someone needs training, they have to go to Kabul or Ghazni for a month or two; we need the training for our staff, but we don't have the time to spare for anyone to be gone that long," he said.

Many of the people here are also resistant to medicines such as penicillin, because the clinic only has low quality drugs, said Ullah.

Lum spoke with Ullah about the program to bring medical training and better medical supplies to the clinic.

"The program is going to help the doctors get education, as well as medical supplies, and training, so they can be more self-sufficient," Lum said.

Preventative medicine classes, how to give vaccinations and fight malaria are some of the training, which can be made available to the doctors of the clinic, he said.

The doctors and staff will be given additional training in general surgery of orthopaedics, said Army 1st Lt. Jeremiah Walker, medical platoon leader for 2nd Bn., 508th PIR in Ghazni. During a three-day class, the staff and nurses were given emergency medical technician level training either at Ghazni or at the clinic.

"The nurses mainly need trauma training," Walker said. "The Ministry of Health has been seeing a lot of physical trauma related injuries."

Through the program, there are also plans to provide future mentorship for the surgeons, allowing Task Force Fury medical practitioners to work with the surgeons at their clinics, he said.

By giving the doctors this knowledge, it gives them a chance to help their own people better, said Lum.

"The overall goal and intent is to make sure the people can take care of themselves," he said. "We want to make sure the clinic can do these things, so people will want to come to their own clinics."

• Date Taken: 05.07.2007
• Date Posted: 05.07.2007 13:58
• Story ID: 10267