New Clinic for Kuchis
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Reg Neal, commander, 1-118th FAR, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, left, looks at the only sonogram in eastern Kabul, during a tour of the Haji Jenet Gull clinic in Pol-e Charki, Jan. 31. The 30-bed U.S. funded clinic was built specifically to target a transient population of nomads and is staffed by two doctors and three nurses. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Senior Chief Kevin Elliott)
The walls were still clean and bare, but the medical supplies were well organized and in place for the opening of the Haji Jenet Gull medical clinic in Pol-e Charki. The 30-bed, $230,000 clinic was funded by the United States but built by Afghans specifically for Kuchis, a nomadic people who make a living raising livestock.
“This is the first clinic built specifically for nomads and hopefully it will bring some stability to the area,” said Lt. Col. Reg Neal, commander, 1-118th FAR, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The previous clinic was in a nearby house and it was overflowing said 1st Lt. Michael Chism, the purchasing officer for the project. “A clinic is definitely a good thing for these people. They desperately needed the space,” he said.
Two doctors, (one a female), three nurses, a mid-wife and a pharmacist will staff the clinic which also has the only sonogram in all of East Kabul. “For Afghanistan it is a state-of-the-art clinic,” said Chism.
Acting minister of Public Health Dr. Suraya Dalil, spoke during an opening ceremony. “It showed the government was involved and can make improvements, and it builds the locals confidence in their government,” said Neal. “The elders held a shura with the minster, [a female] to ensure the female doctor was given the standing and respect of a male doctor.”
“It’s good to see a project come to completion,” said Neal who also participated in the ribbon cutting to open the clinic. “I feel very good we were able to get the project completed during the winter months.”
DVIDS
By U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist Senior Chief Kevin Elliott
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