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    ANA, coalition make commitment to medical care in Parwan province

    ANA, coalition make commitment to medical care in Parwan province

    Story and Photos by Lt. j.g. Egdanis Torres Sierra, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan Public Affairs

    KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 09 2016) — The Afghan National Army announced plans to re-open the Bagram Military Educational Hospital (BMEH), restoring access to state-of-the-art medical care and establishing a long-term commitment in an important region for Afghan forces.

    BMEH, located in a geographically constrained area, is expected to provide hospitalization and diagnostic services to more than 22,000 Afghan security forces and approximately 43,000 of their family members. Diagnostic services provided include endoscopy, X-ray, CT-scan and advanced laboratory services. Ophthalmology and dental care are also scheduled to be available. In-patient services at the 50-bed facility will include major abdominal, orthopedic and thoracic surgeries.

    Maj. Gen. Abdul Razaq Siawash, Afghan National Army Medical Commander (ANA MEDCOM), said he also envisions the hospital as a teaching facility equipped with digital imaging equipment and advanced technology, along with classrooms and billeting available for students and staff.

    Siawash met with a team of medical and budget advisors from Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) at the Kabul National Military Hospital (KNMH) recently to assess improvements in logistics, sustainment, and determine short-term and long-term objectives for BMEH. During the meeting, Siawash said he was determined to have the facility operational within the next two months.

    “We have identified 114 personnel to work in the hospital, in addition to the 84 healthcare and security personnel approved by the office of the Ministry of Defense,” he said. “Medical supplies were delivered to the MEDCOM pharmaceutical warehouse through the Defense Logistics Agency. We also resolved the issues with sewage, electricity and drinking water.”

    Afghan engineers and their advisors worked through numerous complications to restore the basic utilities, and their success is a model for future cooperation, said Ava Corinne Davis, a healthcare systems advisor to Ministry of Defense for Health Affairs.

    During the meeting, leaders also discussed challenges such as the procurement process of emergency medicines and medical supplies within the MOD procurement entities. Thomas A. Lockhart, executive director of CSTC-A’s office of sustainment, known as EF-5, assured his Afghan counterparts that his staff will continue working with MOD Medical Command to ensure logistic support for future demand-based planning. This will ensure that resupply efforts for the hospital are timely and in direct response to the needs of the facility.

    “The visit to the KNMH was a valuable opportunity to discuss the supply of medical material. The tour of the hospital warehouse confirmed the need for additional medical logistic advisory assistance, a future focus for CSTC-A’s office of sustainment, EF-5,” said Australian Brig. Gen. James Walk, deputy director of sustainment for CSTC-A.

    BMEH was constructed in 2008 and staffed by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The facility closed in 2015, when the Korean aid organization turned the hospital over to the Afghan Ministry of Defense.

    "Afghans control the steering wheel,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Stephanie J. Buffett, Coalition Forces Theater Surgeon. “This meeting gives the Afghan leaders a chance to show KOICA their efforts to transform the former Korean medical complex into Afghanistan's expanding medical educational program, where physician residents, physician assistants and nurses can hone their skills in a modern hospital equipped with digital technology. These trained medical professionals will take their skills to the fight to serve the military community. KOICA leaders can see the determination of the Afghan leaders to preserve this gift and continue providing healthcare for years to come."

    BMEH is currently funded through Afghanistan Security Forces Funds. Civilian healthcare at the facility is limited to emergency situations, such as saving lives, limbs or eyesight.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 01.09.2017
    Date Posted: 01.23.2017 06:49
    Story ID: 220954
    Location: AF

    Web Views: 137
    Downloads: 0

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