Experts Meet in Pentagon to Discuss Rebuilding Iraq's Health Care System

American Forces Press Service ^ | Jim Garamone

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2007 – A group of public health experts gathered in the Pentagon Aug. 30 to focus on rebuilding the Iraqi health care system.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, (seated right in white shirt) convened a meeting of public health experts at the Pentagon, Aug. 30, 2007, to discuss reconstruction of Iraq's health care system. Defense Dept. photo by Jim Garamone  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, convened the meeting in part to help the new health attaché to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq understand what is happening in the country.

Dr. (Lt. Cmdr.) Bruno Himmler of the U.S. Public Health Service will leave for his position in Baghdad next week.

Casscells, a colonel in the Army Reserve, deployed to Iraq in 2005 and served as the liaison from Multinational ForceIraq to then-Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. For his contributions, the Iraqi army made Casscells an honorary member of the Iraqi Medical Regiment.

“What we want to do here is to help you avoid making the same mistakes we made,” Casscells told Himmler.

To that end, the meeting brought together representatives from Defense Department medical personnel with representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services, non-governmental agencies, Iraqi physicians.

Meeting participants discussed various topics, including primary care vs. emergency care, building primary care facilities, hospital construction, training of Iraqi medical personnel, working with the Iraqi Ministry of Health and ways to capitalize on private-sector Iraqi medical professionals.

Air Force Surgeon General Dr. (Lt. Gen.) James D. Roudebush, who recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, spoke of the way forward in Iraq and of the general Iraqi attitude toward health care.

Roudebush said the pre-war Iraqi medical establishment had good technical skills, but that the equipment and training in newer facilities and techniques were often lacking.

He told Himmler to not underestimate the challenges of rebuilding a health care system in a “non-permissive environment.” Terrorists are targeting health care facilities, he said, in an attempt to show the people that the Iraqi government and coalition forces cannot carry through with humanitarian efforts.

Biographies:
Dr. S. Ward Casscells

[SandRat]

Catching up with FRWN after visiting the Kids for Labor Day Weekend.

[ExTexasRedhead]

How about fixing the American health care system that’s broken and I don’t mean getting Hitlery care. How about getting illegals out of our emergency rooms so the rest of us aren’t footing the bills?? Here in CA, our benefits are being cut and our premiums are going up due to illegals accessing our health care. Too bad the American people haven’t woken from their stupor yet and voted all the garbage out of the US Congress.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Might be worth noting that they cleaned the Kuwaiti hospitals of medical equipment during their stay in Kuwait.

What I don’t get is why the US feels the need to do this so-called rebuilding unless it is 100% financed with iraqi money, oil or otherwise.

[malia]

Oh, PLEASE, do not model it after our current program!!!

If anything, go back and use the 1990 or before model!!!

Don’t use the citizens as pawns!!!

I remember the sick, sick Democrats using the words .... they want to kill you .... they want you to die .....in their speeches ....... all for your vote!!! scared the old people sick!! and the results were .......

WE GOT hillary CARE and we got bill clinton!!!!

[Alberta's Child]

Fixing Iraq’s health care system is sort of like replacing the living room carpet while the upstairs toilet is clogged, sending all sorts of effluent cascading down the stairs.

[Maceman]

Rebuilding? I’m guessing it wasn’t so hot under Saddam in the first place.

[SandRat]

Mega Mouth Moore Thinks it was Great.