Primary Healthcare Centers near completion in Basrah

Multi-National Force - Iraq ^ | A. Al Bahrani

[SandRat]

BASRAH — Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) are scheduled for completion by July 2007 in the Basrah province of southern Iraq.

The 11 PHCs are designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South district, to provide essential medical care to the Iraqi people.

“The new PHCs will offer much more than a standard health clinic for the Iraqi people because they will improve the preventative care and medical services in Iraq,” said Thomas Edison, chief of engineering and construction with the GRS district.

The health centers include a pharmacy, a dental area, an x-ray facility, maternity facilities and a modern fire alarm system, Edison said.

“We [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] believe the PHCs will make health care much more accessible, [which] will improve the health of all the Iraqi people,” said Edison.

GRS officials estimated each PHC is expected to serve between 100,000 to 250,000 patients each year.

“I’ve got two PHCs in the area nearly finished,” said Stanley Dowdy, an engineer for the Basrah area office, GRS. “Both PHCs will be finished within the next two months.”

The cost for each healthcare center costs approximately $500,000 to $600,000 and training will be required for all personnel who will work at these clinics, said Jermias De Dios, GRS project engineer.

“We are working with the Iraqi Ministry of Health about providing or dedicating staff to operate these systems so that these clinics will remain operational,” De Dios said.

Once completed, the clinics will relieve the overburdened outpatient care currently provided by older hospitals and reduce infant mortality by at least 25 percent nationwide, GRS officials said.

An Iraqi engineer with the Basrah Area Office said construction of these facilities makes an important initial step for community healthcare.

All eleven PHCs will save Iraqi lives, provide family healthcare services at the neighborhood level and employ more healthcare professionals, he said.

“People throughout Basrah province will find it much easier to access quality health care at local PHCs,” he added

[SandRat]

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