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Airmen, Kyrgyz partner on medical mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  A delegate of the Kyrgyz medical team visited the Transit Center at Manas to learn the Air Force mission and to share ideas with their new partners -- Airmen at the 376th Expeditionary Medical Group, Oct. 27. 

The team consisting of doctors, dentists and pharmacists, was led by Col. Iskender Abykeeev, head of the military medical department at the Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense. 

The visit was a part of the growing partnership between Airmen at the Transit Center and Kyrgyz Ministry of Defense medical team. 

During the visit, the team received the wing and the medical group's mission briefs from Cols. Blaine Holt and Jerrold Flyer, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing and 376th EMDG commanders respectively. 

According to Colonel Flyer, this partnership has potential to bring tremendous rewards to both sides. 

"In addition to the good will generated, there is a lot we can learn from each other,' said Colonel Flyer. "We are all providers of medical care and our main objective is to help our patients. Their (Kyrgyz) training and experiences are very different than ours, and there is a lot we can learn from each other medically and surgically. We have already started to do this in several areas." 

After the briefings, the Kyrgyz team got a tour of the medical clinic, dining facility and tour of a KC-135 Stratotanker. They also stopped by at the military K-9 unit here to see the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces working dogs in action. 

The team wrapped up their visit sharing information and conducting a discussion with Airmen at the medical group. Some of the ideas focused on the different ways both Airmen and Kyrgyz military doctors could work together and learn from each other, and how the Kyrgyz team can properly equip their newly built hospital, funded by the U.S. State Department, with new state-of-the art medical equipment. 

"We love the way things are organized here at the Transit Center," said Maj. Nurlan Uraliev, chief of dental services at the Besh-Kungei military hospital. "The U.S. has provided everything the Airmen need to work with, and Airmen need not worry about anything. All they (Airmen) have to do is to get here and get the job done. We are very excited and look forward to our partnership with Airmen at the Transit Center." 

The idea of coming together to perform an operation sprang up at the discussion table, and both discussed the idea. 

"We are planning to accomplish medical operations with each other as new cases arise," said Colonel Flyer. "In addition, we will be helping them with ideas and advice in regards to obtaining equipment and supplies for the new surgical hospital at Besh-Kungei. We are confident that this relationship will continue to build as medical colleagues with a special bond and as members of the armed forces of our respective countries."