PRT provides medical care to more than 120 students, villagers

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (March 3, 2009) – The Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction team conducted a medical assistance mission at the Hope of Mother School and Clinic in Surkh Rod District, Feb. 24.

In approximately three hours, the team’s medics, as well as an Afghan doctor, treated more than 120 people, including students from the school and people from the surrounding the villages.

“The mission gave us a real sense of accomplishment,” said Tech. Sgt. Kyle Baker, Nangarhar PRT senior medic. “It was great to render aid to people who truly needed it, especially having the positive interaction with the children at the school. It was a mission the entire team felt was a positive, rewarding experience.”

The PRT’s two medics, Baker, a Hooks, Texas, native, and Tech. Sgt. Joshua Lackey, from Santa Fe, Texas, along with their Afghan counterpart treated a variety of ailments, from minor sore throats and upper respiratory infections to more serious issues like malaria. 

In addition to the treatments, the team provided their older patients with preventative healthcare lessons. Before leaving, the team also gave selected leftover medicine to the clinic for future use by a local Afghan physician.

“The mission allowed us to use a lot of our career training,” said Baker, who is deployed from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. “Both Josh and I have experience in pediatrics, and it really helped today.”

The mission served as a positive experience for all involved, said Mina Wali, Hope of Mother director.

“The PRT’s help today is a great encouragement to the students and their parents,” she said. “By providing healthcare and health education, the PRT gave these people something much more valuable than money. This will also help encourage the parents to keep their children in school.”

While this type of operation is rewarding for both the patients and PRT, the medical team’s main mission is to assess, mentor and promote the current Nangarhar medical system. This includes working with existing clinics and hospitals to understand their needs and advise them on more efficient ways of conducting business.

“The (Nangarhar medical officals) have a good plan of what they want from their medical system,” Baker said. “They just need help executing this plan, and that is where our experience and exposure to new technologies can help.”

For example, the medic said the team often encounters energy issues when assessing district clinics. Instead of purchasing fuel generators to run the lights and medical equipment, the team recommends new, energy-efficient ideas like solar panels. 

Occasionally, a situation like the Hope of Mother mission allows the medics to mentor their Afghan counterparts and treat patients simultaneously.

“It lets us give the Afghan doctors a taste of what to do, but also allows us to give a community a taste of good health care,” Baker said. “That is exactly what we were able to give them today.”