The 94-bed, 16,000-square-meter building will be the first state-of-the-art pediatric specialty hospital in Iraq and is nearing completion with outpatient services slated to start in September.
Inpatient oncology services are scheduled to begin in November, surgical services in January, and additional services, such as radiation oncology, will be available later.
“Having a specialized pediatric hospital will be beneficial for the children of Basra and the future generations to come,” said Maj. Roger Brockbank, 2nd Brigade Combat Team surgeon, 4th Infantry Division. Brockbank calls Colorado Springs, Colo., home.
“We participated in what I would consider a joint, multi-agency project, to provide a critical care facility for children in southern Iraq,” said Maj. Peter Hesford, water, electricity and infrastructure manager of the Commander’s Emergency Relief Program for the 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div.
“Our contribution was the provision of treated water for the hospital. Our role was small but our contribution was critical,” said Hesford, who comes from Portland, Ore.
The project is spearheaded by the U.S., but is also financed by the government of Iraq, the United Nations and Project Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing health care for people worldwide, said Gerald Ramos, project manager for the hospital, Gulf Region South District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, based out of Huntsville, Ala., which he calls home.
“In 2003, Project Hope evaluated the healthcare system in Iraq and found it to be broken,” said Ramos. He explained that the infant mortality rate is one of the highest worldwide and Project Hope determined that a significant contributing factor was pediatric cancer.
“The cancer rate is ten times higher in Iraq than in developed countries. In the south, it is twice the national average,” said Ramos. “It was decided to build the hospital in Basra because it is a major population center.”
The specialized focus of the hospital is on cancer treatment, continued Ramos. The hospital will also function as a training center, capable of improving and expanding the training and proficiency of healthcare professionals throughout Iraq.
“It’s encouraging and exciting to see a project of this regional importance nearing completion,” said Hesford. “It is important for the critical need the hospital will fill in the area of pediatric care (and) for the employment and economic stimulus it will provide to Basra.”
Ramos said the hospital will stimulate the local economy and offer jobs for local citizens, both at the hospital and to industries servicing the hospital. In the construction alone, he estimated that approximately half of the $160 million for the building project will go to the local laborers and contractors.
