| Increased availability to medical care will help reduce infant mortality. |
| By A. Al Bahrani Gulf Region South, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
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MAYSAN, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2007 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to make a significant and positive impact on the reconstruction of Iraq. The design-build projects of four Primary Healthcare Centers in Maysan Province are a prime example.
“The four PHCs in Maysan Province are a high priority because Gulf Region South district and Multi-National Division-Southeast see this region lacks adequate medical care," said Maj. Stephen Herda, Maysan resident engineer, Basrah Area Office, Gulf Region South. "These projects are an important government function because they put medical care directly into the communities that need them most. Each PHC has the ability to treat a large number of Iraqis.” “These projects started last year and the work has been one of the most challenging PHCs constructions sites in the Maysan province,” he added. Herda explained that there are three types of public health care centers under construction. Maysan Province has two Type A, one Type B and one Type C facilities. The Type A centers have the ability to treat routine medical problems that all communities face. The Type B and C centers exceed the Type A centers capabilities and provide an even greater level of care by having more sophisticated equipment and the ability to treat diseases that are less common. Herda said that while there are four centers under construction, there are far more people in outlying areas that will still need to travel long distances to reach medical care. However, with the addition of these centers, it should greatly reduce those distances and make medical care more available to the general population. “We are making history here,” said Herda. While the job is challenging, he believes the reward is even greater. “I enjoy working in Iraq and seeing the benefit of the reconstruction work.” One of the most important things to note is the fact that availability of close medical attention and medical facilities should have an overall impact on reducing infant mortality, stated Herda. |
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| “There is much work that has been done and much work that is yet to be done. The mission is not only reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure, but also building capacity within the provincial governance by providing the people of Iraq with trained, capable personnel who are competent to do the job. Part of our mission is to provide the infrastructure, just like another part is to train these people,” he said. An Iraqi project engineer working with USACE said “The projects will provide a standard health center for the Iraqi people because they will improve the preventative care and medical services in the region.” “In my opinion, providing these new and additional medical services will help reduce the infants’ mortality rate of the area,” he stated. “We rely on local national Iraqi associates to perform these quality assurance functions. This ensures capacity building by providing these engineers with experience in conducting QA monitoring which is vital to any construction program. It also provides an opportunity to foster trust between Iraq and USACE to build stronger ties and to clearly demonstrate our commitment to rebuilding this country,” said Herda. |
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FR WAR NEWS! 