“It was great. The security was amazing,” said Capt. Jason Smith, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 41st Fires Brigade. “We had a great time working with the Iraqi physicians, meeting the pharmacists, talking to all the civilians and giving them good care.”
Bring on the Docs started in August 2008 and was a joint medical civil-military operation between the Wasit Director General of Health and the 41st FB. designed to restore the medical capacity in Wasit and bring clinics up to the regional health care standard.
Initially headed by Col. Italo Bastianelli, 41st FB surgeon, and carried on by Maj. N.I. Okpokwasili when Bastianelli redeployed, Task Force Gunner Med’s approach to improving the health care in Wasit was multi-faceted.
The CME visits help identify each clinic’s problems so the Iraqi healthcare system can fix those problems and bring healthcare standards up to the same level as other gulf region countries. Task Force Gunner Med identified ways Coalition forces could help with facility improvements at clinics and hospitals. Medical training was also conducted on Forward Operating Base Delta for physicians and Iraqi Security Forces’ medics to attend.
The last Bring on the Docs mission was a little less hectic than the previous CMEs as the doctors saw around 100 patients instead of the normal 250 to 300, said Smith, a Houston resident.
This last mission was also one of the medic’s very first CMEs. He said it was a good experience for him, and he’ll continue these types of missions if he can.
“I would like to continue it. It depends on what kind of support we get,” said Sgt. Hiran Patel, 1st Battalion, 150th Assault Helicopter Battalion medic. “If we have the proper support for it, I’ll keep on doing it because I like stuff like this,”
Both Patel and Smith said they were impressed with the operations at the Jassan Health Clinic.
“I think this clinic is in great shape. I got to look through their pharmacy and they have a bunch of good medications,” said Smith. “I got to work hand-in-hand with an Iraqi physician and she did an outstanding job seeing and treating people.”
“I just have a different comparison just coming over here,” said Patel, of New Brunswick, N.J. “The biggest, toughest thing is the language barrier but they seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.”
Operation Bring on the Docs came to a close after 11 months of missions as the 41st FB prepares to redeploy to Fort Hood, Texas.
