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Air Force medic treats Afghan boy

  • Published
  • By Capt. Joe Campbell
  • Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan --  After a chance meeting on a street with a boy in the mountainous village of Rokha, an Air Force physician assistant was brought in to treat the youngster the very next day.

Fletcher Burton, Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team director, met 6-year-old Idris when he and a team were in the area performing inspections May 7. The following day, PRT members were again performing inspections near Rokha when they met Idris’ father, who happened to be a government official.

"We were inspecting several projects, including 30 bee hives that we funded, when we met Mr. Thahir, the Government of Afghanistan Panjshir Representative for Environmental Ministry," said Mr. Burton.

Mr. Thahir met the team with great interest. When he learned that the PRT had medical experts, he asked if a medic could treat his only son, who was ill. He explained that his son had been seen by a local provider several days earlier, but the symptoms persisted.

"After we arrived, we all sat down on a blanket to talk to the elders and the young boy came and sat right in front of me and calmly waited for me to examine him," said Maj. Kurt Workmaster, physician assistant for the Panjshir PRT. "I performed the exam, prescribed fluids and provided medication for his ailment. I expect him to make a full recovery."

As Rokha is not always a friendly environment for the PRT to operate in, this was a chance to provide community outreach, and it was the right thing to do, Mr. Burton said.

"This situation provided an excellent opportunity for us to go into the village, secure our presence there and work with the local people," Mr. Burton said. "It was also a great use of our medical experts and resources, as well as being the humane thing to do. We have a very capable team of medics and Idris was in need of medical attention."

This encounter is typical of most meetings in the region according to Mr. Burton. Communication and trust are built by word of mouth, a handshake and an eyewitness encounter, he said.

"We go out into the community, meet people, sit and talk to them over chi (tea), and this leads to many other things,” Mr. Burton said. “The people of the Panjshir Valley are our friends and neighbors and we are happy to be here working alongside them."