MEDCAP
makes medicine mobile
Story and photo by Staff Sgt.
Sailer, 1AD PAO
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Dr.
(Capt.) Jim Hardigan sticks out his tongue showing a young
Iraqi boy what to do during a joint Medical Civil Action
Program medical check-up in Karbala. |
KARBALA,
Iraq – Medical Soldiers from Task Force 1-37 Armor, 1st
Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division,
together with medical professionals from the Thailand Task Force
conducted a medical treatment program for more than 100 Iraqi Police
Service Officers and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers during a
joint Medical Civil Action Program (MEDCAP).
“A
MEDCAP is typically run under the banner of a humanitarian mission
and the primary goal is to offer free healthcare to the local
nationals,” Dr. (Capt.) Jim Hardigan, the Task Force Battalion
Surgeon said.
“Usually
it is in an effort to augment the local healthcare system simply
because the local healthcare system does not have the personnel,
equipment or supplies to provide certain care,” Hardigan
continued.
The
MEDCAP started off slowly, with only a handful of patients showing
up, but steadily grew once the leaders got the word out
“We had a few local sheiks show up and get
treated,” Hardigan said, “After they were through, I think they
went back to their communities and said ‘these guys are doing
O.K., go there, take your kids,’ so I think that is what increased
our numbers.”
The
medical teams were prepared to deal with a wide variety of health
concerns.
“Most of the conditions we have seen are
typical sick call stuff,” Hardigan said.
“Some had respiratory complaints like
coughs and colds. We have seen a lot of G.I. complaints; stomach
pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. We have also seen a lot of skin
complaints like basic rashes.”
Hardigan said there are limits to the care
they can give.
“Scattered in there however, we have had
some more serious problems, things we simply cannot address. For
example, we had a patient show up with a CAT scan revealing what
appeared to be a cystic mass on his right kidney. There is not much
we can truly do,” Hardigan said.
This
man, like so many Iraqis, faces a difficult challenge when in search
of health care.
“From my experience,” Hardigan said,
“that situation has been pretty typical; where you will receive
partial treatment. Local Iraqi doctors will take a look at you, many times will
do lab work, x-rays, cat scans, whatever they need, make a diagnosis
and then say ‘ok you will need this treatment and it will cost
this much.’ That is usually where things will stop.”
One
major hurdle for the Iraqi healthcare system is the lack of
medication and supplies, Hardigan said.
“(Patient’s)
primary complaint was (doctors) simply did not have enough
vaccinations or medications to follow through with the treatment.
They would write out (a prescription) on a piece of paper and give
it to the patient, but then they were on their own.”
The
MEDCAP team had their own challenges in the gathering of supplies.
The Thai team brought pediatric medicine but supplies were limited.
“As
a field aid station we are not supplied to do MEDCAPs,” Hardigan
said. ”But we were able to scrape together enough supplies and
were helped by the Thais. Our own supply sergeant also worked hard
to get us extra supplies.”
Hardigan
admitted despite the challenges the mission was successful.
“For
the vast majority of patients we saw we were able to help,”
Hardigan said.
“I
love treating Soldiers, but it was kind of nice to go out and start
helping a different segment of the population.”
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