Afghan physicians take one more step toward independent medical care

Published Feb. 14, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Richard Williams
455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Local Afghan physicians graduated Feb. 13, 2010, from a two-week mentorship training program sponsored by Task Force Medical East and the Craig Joint Theater Hospital here.

The five doctors, members of the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and local hospitals, increased their medical knowledge on the procedures and equipment involved in trauma medicine and also fostered a working relationship with their coalition counterparts.

"Today was the culmination of two weeks of trauma and medical training for the local Afghan physicians," said U.S. Army Capt. Mark Ebeling, director of the Afghan medical training program, TF-Med East. "Every month we bring physicians from ANA sites and Provincial Reconstruction Teams from all over Afghanistan to train here at the Craig Hospital and the Egyptian Field Hospital."

Captain Ebeling, deployed from the 452nd Combat Support Hospital, Minneapolis, Minn., said the importance of this program lies in building the Afghan medical infrastructure, enhancing their medical capabilities, and sharing trauma medicine programs that have been almost nonexistent in recent years. "We have the capabilities here and that is one of the biggest needs in the country right now. "

Previous graduates of the program return and assist with the training of their fellow Afghan doctors, said Captain Ebeling, and this is essential to build a strong foundation in the Afghan communities--Afghans teaching Afghans.

"It is important that they (Afghan physicians) see a higher standard of medical care than they are used to in the hopes of them developing those standards," said U.S. Air Force Col. Joe Chozinski, 455th Expeditionary Medical Group/TF-MED East commander. "The biggest part to me is to develop a strong working relationship with the communities so we can develop a referral system to assist with local medical needs."

Colonel Chozinski, deployed from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., explains that in a country whose medical system has been decimated by war and attrition there isn't a strong medical system in many places and the division between coalition medical care and local care makes it difficult for both systems to work together.

He said the more training and assistance Coalition forces can provide to help the Afghan's develop their healthcare model and processes the easier it will be to work together to reach everyone's goal, which is to provide the best healthcare possible for the people of Afghanistan.

Dr. (Col.) Abdul Rasheed Fedaye, ANA chief of internal medicine, Afghan National Medical Hospital, said the training is an essential part of the building process to enhance Afghan medical professional's capabilities.

"We have learned a great deal about dealing with trauma patients and we were exposed to many situations that we had never seen before," Dr. Fedaye. "We will go back to our hospitals and share the experiences, and teach the techniques we have learned and encourage our doctors to participate in these programs to gain more knowledge."

"The biggest event that they participated in was rendering medical aid to survivors of the recent avalanche," Captain Ebeling said.

One of the doctors assisted in emergency room operations and the other physicians assisted with less severe injuries, primarily assisting with the Afghan families, said Captain Ebeling. "It was unbelievable, the assistance they provided. They removed a language barrier and put those patients, most of who had never come into contact with coalition forces, and provided care and comfort for their countrymen."

Dr. Fedaye spoke of the assistance during the avalanche and the humanitarian assistance provided saying, "We saw the American medical forces and their eagerness to help the Afghan people when they were brought here and given humanitarian assistance."

"We had the students taking care of a patient in our intensive care unit, one that we may have kept for a few weeks," said Colonel Chozinski. "The students came to us and said with the training they received from the PRTs and the imbedded training teams, they believed they could take the patient from us. So an Afghan Mi-17 came in and took that patient to a local hospital, and that is important."

During the graduation he said, "These are another five physicians who are working towards the same mission, which is to build their medical system."

"Most of these physicians are senior in their organizations and they are well respected in their communities and so it is a real honor to have them here," said Colonel Chozinski. "It is not easy to take the most experienced physician in a community away from an area for two weeks."

"We are very thankful for the Craig Hospital staff and other coalition staff for being here and their willingness to help the Afghans," said Dr. Fedaye. "I hope that the mentorship training program will be extended to all of Afghanistan and we want the American forces to invite other doctors to come here and to learn about modern medical techniques to help care for our people."

Operation Enduring Freedom