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G.I. Jones to the rescue

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  The primary mission for doctors working in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital is to tend to service members with trauma, but another mission here is providing humanitarian care to local nationals, and "G.I Jones" is that doctor.

On Bagram when an Afghan child is hospitalized, there is only one doctor who tends to their care and locals call him G.I. Jones. Lt. Col. David Jones is the sole pediatrician assigned to the CJTH. G.I. Jones as he is known in the hospital, begins his day with rounds to check on his patient's health and update their charts. He then has a meeting with the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group commander to update him on the patient's status.

"Unfortunately many of the children's injuries are a result from rockets attacks or mines," said Jones, deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "Most of the time the patients will have a surgery and be discharged the same day. Only a few of the children seen here are admitted to the hospital, and that's where I come in."

For example, if a child were to come in for a surgery Jones would conduct a pre-operation assessment of the child to determine if he or she is healthy enough to have a surgery. Then during post-surgery, if the child is admitted, Jones would be in charge of changing the dressing, taking care of the wounds, administering medication and checking stats.

"Medications are important, but that varies with each pediatric patient," said Jones, native of San Antonio, Texas on his first deployment. "A lot of the nurses are unfamiliar with pediatrics; I work with the nurses to ensure each child is receiving the appropriate dosage according to their body type. When patients are admitted we try to take care of them as long as we can and the best that we can."

At home station his primary job is pediatric gastrointestinal specialist where he has nurses who take care of the pre and post operation requirements. For Jones, this is the first time in his career he has been responsible for trauma patients, especially children. His hospital home station doesn't even have a trauma unit.

"One of the most severe cases I have seen here and we are still taking care of, is a thirteen year-old boy who was shot in the head in 2011," said Jones. "During his initial surgery a large piece of his skull was removed leaving his brain unprotected, so a titanium mesh was placed in his head to protect his brain."
"He recently came back to Bagram complaining of pain and was diagnosed with an infection of his remaining skull and titanium mesh," Jones added. We gave him antibiotics and his mesh was removed to treat the infection. If he didn't come in when he did, he wouldn't have made it."

Jones said since being assigned here as a pediatrician all the parents and children he has taken care of have been very grateful for the care the medical staff on Bagram provide.

"I think having pediatrics here is good for relations with the local communities, not only for the Afghans, but other coalition medical professionals on Bagram," he said. "It is very valuable in terms of perception of what we can provide to their community. Everyone knows there is a war taking place here but it makes a huge difference when you take care of child involved in the conflict by giving them a chance at a longer life they wouldn't normally have."