U.S. forces provide medical treatment to Afghan women Published Dec. 20, 2008 By U.S. Forces Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan -- A Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan medical officer provided medical treatment to several Afghan women and their children Dec. 17 at a women's clinic on Camp Hero, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The event was part of a semi-monthly effort to train and mentor Afghan medical personnel to improve health care and provide medical treatment to Afghan women, who otherwise would not be seen. Navy Lt. Christine R. Stehman, the SPMAGTF-A air combat element flight surgeon, volunteered to conduct the women's clinic twice a month to raise awareness and ensure afghan women receive the medical treatment they need. "Because of cultural restrictions, women are not allowed to take their burkas off in front of men, and any conversation has to take place through the burka or even through a screen," she said. "This makes examinations impossible. Sometimes, the women need to be seen for female issues." Stehman hopes that raising awareness and educating female medical personnel will help to curb the mortality rate of women and infants and improve the medical treatment the majority of Afghan women receive. In addition, she hopes to be a positive role model to Afghan women. "I'm a physician, so my job is to provide health care and medical attention, but I have an opportunity to not only do so but to show an example of an educated female to some of the local [Afghan] population, both male and female," she said. "If one girl sees me and says 'I want to be a doctor,' that's a step in the right direction."