Posted on 06/01/2009 5:10:26 PM PDT by SandRat
BASRAH — The 94-bed, 16,000-square-meter Basrah Children's Hospital, which will be the first state-of-the-art pediatric specialty hospital in Iraq, is nearing completion with outpatient services slated to begin in September. Inpatient oncology services are slated to begin in November, surgical services in January, and additional services, such as radiation oncology, will become available at later stages.
"Having a specialized pediatric hospital will be beneficial for the children of Basrah and the future generations to come," said Maj. Roger Brockbank, 2nd Brigade Combat Team surgeon, 4th Infantry Division.
"We participated in what I would consider a joint, multi-agency project, to provide a critical care facility for children in southern Iraq," said Maj. Peter Hesford, water, electricity and infrastructure manager of the Commander's Emergency Relief Program for the 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div.
"Our contribution was the provision of treated water for the hospital. Our role was small but our contribution was critical," said Hesford.
The project is spearheaded by the U.S., but is also financed by the Government of Iraq, the United Nations and Project Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing health care for people worldwide, said Gerald Ramos, project manager for the hospital, Gulf Region South District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"In 2003, Project Hope evaluated the healthcare system in Iraq and found it to be broken," said Ramos. He explained that the infant mortality rate here is one of the highest worldwide and Project Hope determined that a significant contributing factor was pediatric cancer.
"The cancer rate is ten times higher in Iraq than in developed countries. In the south, it is twice the national average. It was decided to build the hospital in Basrah because it is a major population center," said Ramos.
The specialized focus of the hospital is on cancer treatment. The hospital will also function as a training center, capable of improving and expanding the training and proficiency of health care professionals throughout Iraq.
"It's encouraging and exciting to see a project of this regional importance nearing completion,” said Hesford. “It is important for the critical need the hospital will fill in the area of pediatric care [and] for the employment and economic stimulus it will provide to Basrah."
Ramos said the hospital will stimulate the local economy and offer jobs for local citizens, both at the hospital and to industries servicing the hospital. In the construction alone, he estimated that approximately half of the $160 million for the building project will go to local laborers and contractors.
I am so happy to hear this. God bless the children.
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