JALALABAD AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- In another effort at winning the hearts and minds of the community, Marines, soldiers and sailors from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii temporarily set up a medical clinic for the public July 21.
“We were able to meet the needs of many of the locals. We plan to make this a weekly event with the villages surrounding the Jalalabad area,” said Navy Lt. Charles G. Emond, battalion surgeon, from Santa Rosa, Calif. “Ideally we want to integrate with the local medical doctors to use their clinics, so that we don’t have to set up tents every time.”
Under the Medical Civil Affairs Program or MEDCAP, Marines and sailors travel to the villages whose people lack basic medical care and treat as many civilians as possible. Many of the villages have no hospitals or clinics close by, and with no transportation, people often must go without medical treatment. Because of this, literally as soon as the Marines and sailors show up and start erecting tents, crowds start to form. By the time everything is set up and ready, the area is overflowing with people needing treatment. The clinic treated more than 500 people during the course of the day. According to the patient count, 65 men, 175 women, and more than 300 children were treated for various problems.
“This is the first time that someone comes and helps us; they give us medicine and help treat our sick. They also give us other stuff to help our lives; those of us whose husbands have died or are gone need all the help we can get. We have no money to even pay for food or rent so this medicine is a great help. People here have died because they couldn’t get to a hospital. We are really grateful to the Marines especially,” said Zargul, one of the elder village women who talked with the help of a translator.
Most of the people that visit the clinic have simple problems that would easily be fixed by a common household first aid kit. Symptoms like coughing, stomachaches, and intestinal problems can all be relieved by the ‘docs’ as they pass out cough syrup, Motrin, and other minor drugs. Vitamins are handed out to as many people as possible in the hopes the nutritional boost will help strengthen their immune systems. While the clinic is limited in its capabilities by supplies and equipment, the Navy corpsman treat what they can and give as much comfort and relief as possible to those whose conditions are too serious for treatment at the temporary clinic.
“These clinics are a big help to the locals. A lot of times little things like a cut can get infected because they have no medical supplies, then we have to clean and drain the wound and then put some disinfectant on it. Its amazing how much difference a little help can make in these people’s lives,” said Seaman Erik Garcia, corpsman, from Houston, Texas.
E-mail Sgt. Robert M. Storm at robert.storm@usmc.mil