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U.S. Army doctors helping repair damage done to medicine in Iraq (Good News from Iraq!)
Stars & Stripes, European Edition ^ | 23 Oct 03 | Ron Jensen

Posted on 10/24/2003 2:39:20 PM PDT by xzins

BAGHDAD — U.S. Army doctors are trying to repair the damage done to Iraqi medicine during the reign of Saddam Hussein when, as one doctor put it, “medicine stopped.”

The soldier/physicians held a three-day clinic this week on emergency obstetrics, and there is hope that such professional development classes will become regular events and cover a wide range of topics.

“Our doctors are very interested in these courses,” said Dr. Hassan Baker, general director for the ministry of health.

“We’ll do as much as we can,” said Dr. (Lt. Col.) Mark Harris, division surgeon for the 1st Armored Division. “I told them, we are here for the Iraqi people.”

Medical advancements were minimal under Saddam. As a result, doctors are “basically stuck in the late ’70s, early ’80s,” said Dr. (Lt. Col.) Kelly Murray, regimental surgeon for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Polk, La.

“Medicine stopped. In the ’90s, they couldn’t even get medical journals,” he said.

Dr. Noorhan Solomon, a gynecologist, said only people selected by the government were allowed to leave the country for additional training. The others were stuck with a stagnant profession as the rest of the world moved on.

The initial class was called “Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics,” a lesson in dealing with emergencies related to pregnancies or births. It was provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians, which waived the usual fees for the course.

“This would cost us several thousand dollars back in the States,” Harris said.

About 30 doctors showed up, nearly all of them women because religious sensitivity in the country means nearly all gynecologists are female.

Dr. (Capt.) Lisa Foglia, now assigned to the 1st Armored Division but ordinarily at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, said the course is designed to develop teaching methods so the doctors in attendance can pass along the information.

“This is a group of professionals,” she said. “We don’t want to presume we are teaching them something they don’t already know.”

Dr. Ramzia Gabiee, head of the primary health care department at the health ministry, said the teaching methods impressed her.

Knowledge, she said, she can get from a book.

“I’ve learned a lot about the teaching methods,” she said. “(American doctors) have the knowledge, a lot of knowledge. They also know how to teach that knowledge.”

There is much for the Iraqi doctors to learn about obstetrics care. For example, they use Valium as an anesthetic during births, not epidurals, which are common in America. The use of ultrasounds in Iraq is extremely limited.

The Americans plan to leave behind some of the teaching tools so they can be used in future classes. They had mannequins, CD-ROMs and other teaching tools for the class.

They expect the Iraqi doctors to quickly catch up with what more than two decades of a dictatorship has cost them.

“Their knowledge level is the same as ours,” said Foglia, but they have not had access to new methods and new technology.

Added Murray: “They’re incredibly good doctors — well-trained at what they do. They just didn’t have the equipment.”


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: advance; army; doctor; goodnews; iraq; iraqidoctors; landstuhl; medic; medicine; offense

1 posted on 10/24/2003 2:39:21 PM PDT by xzins
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
ping
2 posted on 10/24/2003 2:39:47 PM PDT by xzins
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To: xzins
We don't need the corrupt State Department.....our military people are the most incredible ambassadors for America we could possibly have.
3 posted on 10/24/2003 3:22:10 PM PDT by WaterDragon
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To: xzins; MJY1288; Calpernia; Grampa Dave; anniegetyourgun; Ernest_at_the_Beach; BOBTHENAILER; ...
Thank you for the ping, xzins. This is an important story.

Saddam, not America or sanctions, was responsible for thousands of Iraqi deaths due to disease and starvation.

Since Pres. Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, our US heroes have saved thousands of Iraqi lives.

 
According to an Iraqi medical student, Saddam is rumored to have been shot once, and a doctor refused to treat him. 
 
Saddam treated doctors very badly, forcing them to mutilate healthy Iraqis to 'bind' them to the state:  Saddam's Surgeons: First, Do Harm .
~~~
 
More of the lifesaving work done by the Coalition in Iraq over the past 6 months:
 
From the Coalition Provisional Authority's Oct. 9 briefing:

Six months ago the public health system was an empty shell.  During the 1990’s Saddam cut spending on public health by over 90 percent with predictable results for the lives of his citizens.

·      Today we have increased public health spending to over 26 times what it was under Saddam.

·      Today all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

·      Today doctors’ salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.

·      Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

·      Since liberation we have administered over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq’s children.

~~~~
 
U.S. Army doctors are trying to repair the damage done to Iraqi medicine during the reign of Saddam Hussein when, as one doctor put it, “medicine stopped.”

~~~

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

4 posted on 10/24/2003 5:17:26 PM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl ("2 years: tyrannies defeated,nations rescued,millions of people liberated" Rummy,10/10-AP:"FAILURE!")
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To: xzins
....and some of my old Special Forces compadres are getting their licks in....

http://teamhouse.tni.net/Info/ichelp/assistance_for_iraqi_clinics.htm

5 posted on 10/24/2003 5:39:21 PM PDT by Shamrock-DW
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
BTTT
6 posted on 10/24/2003 6:57:40 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: facedown
Why do I not here or read this stuff?

pump to keep going

7 posted on 10/24/2003 7:22:53 PM PDT by deadmenvote
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To: WaterDragon
We don't need the corrupt State Department.....our military people are the most
incredible ambassadors for America we could possibly have.


That's why when I use the term "our best and brightest" in posts, I'm talking about
our military personnel, not Ivy League grads.

OK, I'm sure some of our "best and brightest" are Ivy League grads...
8 posted on 10/24/2003 7:28:50 PM PDT by VOA
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
9 posted on 10/24/2003 8:48:24 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
10 posted on 10/25/2003 1:47:22 AM PDT by windchime
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Good News ~ Bump!
11 posted on 10/25/2003 8:00:32 AM PDT by blackie
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