Coalition forces medics treat Afghan children in Kunduz province

KUNDUZ PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

07.24.2012

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Cassandra Thompson 

NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan

KUNDUZ PROVINCE, Afghanistan—Afghan National Army medics and their coalition partners routinely treat wounded soldiers and sick call patients, but they rarely see children with severe injuries.

Three-year-old Bebe Zorah arrived at the ANA outpost in Nowabad Village suffering from pain due to severe burns she sustained after falling into a fire pit earlier this year. The medics knew they needed to act quickly.

Relatives had taken her to a local clinic the day before, where doctors applied ointment to her burns and dressed them. However, she did not appear to be getting better. In desperation, the family wheeled her to the outpost for further treatment.

“Burns require special consideration due to the fact that the skin is injured and susceptible to infection,” explained the coalition forces senior medic. “We really have to make sure that we keep the wound clean or it could get worse. A burn patient, in our opinion, would have to come back every day to get their dressings changed.”

The medics knew when they saw Zorah that she would require serious medical attention.

The medics soon established a routine for Zorah’s recovery. For six weeks her parents brought her to the camp daily to get her bandages changed and her burns evaluated and treated.

Word quickly spread in the villages that coalition forces medics had helped a little girl when local treatment options were inadequate. Since then, the senior medic said they treat an average of four patients a day.

“The majority of our patients have been pediatric patients, and the majority of those children are burn patients,” said the coalition forces senior medic. “Word got out that we treated her really well. I have patients that walk up to eight kilometers to get here.”

Treating Zorah and other children has also served as a valuable training opportunity for the ANA medic on the camp.

“We’re not only supporting Village Stability Operations by providing security, we’re providing medical training to personnel who will be able to treat their villages when we’re gone,” said the senior medic. “In the past couple weeks, I’ve stepped back and let the Afghan medic take the lead, which is great. He will always have this training in his toolbag.”

• Date Taken: 07.24.2012
• Date Posted: 07.28.2012 03:26
• Story ID: 92297
• Location: KUNDUZ PROVINCE, AF