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ANA, coalition forces train Jaji district providers

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Wesley Farnsworth
  • PRT Paktya
1 Oct 2011 --  PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Medical providers in Jaji district received life-saving skills when they attended the first Afghan National Army-led medical training seminar Sept. 25-28, 2011.

Training was hosted by members of the ANA, Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, Paktya Regional Hospitals Medical Training Team, Female Training Team and coalition forces at Combat Outpost Herrera.

A team of five ANA doctors with specialties in anesthesia, intensive care unit care, preventive medicine, general surgery, emergency room nursing and dentistry conducted the four-day training. The 20-hour ANA-taught course was attended by more than 20 doctors, nurses and first responders from the district hospital.

"The course was created to facilitate the ANA medical providers in sharing their professional medical knowledge in trauma care with local hospital providers," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Benjamin McGarvery, Paktya PRT physician's assistant, and a native of Port Allegany, Penn. "Jaji district has a history of seeing a lot of trauma patients, and we're hoping this course helps save lives."

ANA doctors covered a variety of basic topics such as managing patients, triage procedures, placement and usage of oxygen masks and various hygiene procedures.

Instructors also covered advanced medical techniques like needle decompression, catheter insertions and the proper performance of ultrasound techniques.

For more than a year, an ultrasound machine sat in its box, only to be used when a doctor from another area was called in to operate it.

"ANA doctors provided ultrasound training to both Jaji doctors and nurses, as well as the local midwives, giving them the ability to perform the ultrasounds themselves," McGarvey said. "Having this ability will enable them to spot problems with pregnancies, as well as perform ultrasounds during traumas to spot problems like blood clots."

This training also enabled coalition forces to fulfill a long-standing promise to the district.

"We're hopeful that by bringing the ANA doctors out and fulfilling this promise, it lays the groundwork for a partnership that will last well into the future," McGarvey said. "We want the shura members and the doctors to trust in the ANA and coalition forces."

The 30-bed district hospital currently offers basic services like an emergency room, radiology, basic surgeries and obstetrics.

"This training builds a bridge which opens the lines of communication between the doctors of the regional hospital and the ANA," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col Stephen Sales, MTT lead, from Kokomo, Ind. "They have been taking classes and getting on-the-job training for approximately four years."

"Now they are ready to teach others the skills they have learned," he added.

To sustain what medical personnel learned during the four-day course, hospital personnel will also receive periodic training from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health.

"I thought this training was very good and the topics covered were very useful," said Dr. Shahwali Qurishi, Jaji district hospital general surgeon. "I'm very grateful [the ANA] was able to come and teach us the material in our own language; it helps us understand it better."

ANA doctors, female training team and members of the PRT were also able to train the local midwives, Afghan National Police, Afghan Border Police and local police on basic medic skills.

The training led to a return trip being planned for later this year, and its success also brought training requests from other Paktya districts.