Senior Airman James Bolinger
CJTF 82 Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The towns of Eskandareh and Pacha Khak hide deep within the mountains of Kohe Safi District, Parwan province.
Eskandareh is near the head of Tagab Valley and Pacha Khak has been a strong hold for many armies throughout Afghanistan's history.
Members of the 413th Civil Affairs Battalion, accompanied by Afghan national police and the Kohe Safi Police Mentor Team, brought doctors and veterinarians to these two remote villages for a village medical outreach.
Medical outreaches are a way for the Afghan government and coalition forces to build a rapport with locals on their own turf, said Army Col. Robert Nobak, 413th CA Bn. They do not have sophisticated equipment, therefore, treatment is generally symptomatic, for example, arthritis in an elderly farmer. On the other hand, VMOs can definitively treat acute infections and simple injuries.
"When possible, we like to work with Afghan providers, and when necessary, make referrals to Afghan medical facilities," he said. "However, if there are cases where Afghan facilities are not readily available, we can make referrals to (Bagram Airfield)."
This was the first time a VMO has been held at either of these villages and more than 450 men, women and children were seen.
"The age range was from two to 95, so the spectrum was fairly broad," said Nobak. "The most common complaint was joint pain for which we have a variety of anti-inflammatory medicines."
The VMO was organized by Maj. Jeremy McGuire, Kohe Safi PMT leader.
"I proposed the idea for a medical outreach to Parwan's sub governor and the local ANP chief," said McGuire. "They picked the villages, which are a political hot bed."
Pacha Khak was a Mujadeen stronghold during the communist regime and was sympathetic to the Taliban when coalition forces took control of Afghanistan.
Eskanderah villagers fought against the Taliban, in fact an Afghan national army general hails from the area, said McGuire.
This VMO met "my expectations as far as the timeline, security and set-up," said Navy Lt. Tammy Felker, 413th CA Bn physicians assistant, who attended to women and girls in the village. "It did not meet my expectations in that I would have liked to have seen more women of childbearing age. When we don't see women of childbearing age in the clinic; then the village tends to be more traditional and suppress their women. The amount of women of childbearing age we see signifies the level of freedom the women have."
Despite the low turnout of women of childbearing age, Felker felt the VMO was still a success.
"This is the first time we visited these villages. It takes time to develop a rapport with people," she said. "The first part is establishing trust. I feel we established trust with this visit, so, next time we will see more women and children.
Helping people with their ailments was not the only aspect of this VMO. A veterinarian and an entomologist were also along for the ride.
"I provide public-health assistance and education to the villagers, hopefully to implement long-lasting fixes for problems like insect borne and food/water borne diseases – improving the overall health and well being of locals," said Navy Lt. Jason Forster, 413th CA Bn medical entomologist. "Though, I tend to assist the other medical or vet assets to accomplish their missions."
As the Humvees headed back to BAF, the chatter over the radios was all about the success of the mission.
"On a scale of one to 10, I would call this VMO a nine," said McGuire. "We would have liked to get more Afghan doctors, but the ANP did an outstanding job with security."