ANA gains first military surgery capabilities in Helmand

CAMP SHORBAK, AFGHANISTAN

05.03.2013

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sean Weir 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

CAMP SHORBAK, Afghanistan - Coalition and Afghan National Army service members worked together to create Afghanistan’s first air transportable treatment unit at Camp Shorbak in Helmand province May 3.

This is the first of eight ATTUs scheduled for construction throughout Afghanistan. The ATTU is designed to provide a mobile capability to surgical stabilization on the battlefield

The ATTU will function as the only Afghan military-owned medical facility with trauma-stabilizing surgery capabilities in Helmand. Camp Shorbak’s current clinic cannot deal with surgeries. It’s mainly used for military sick call, minor injuries and immunizations.

The ATTU at Camp Shorbak is unique. Other ATTUs are intended for expeditionary use - moved from location to location. The Shorbak ATTU sits inside a warehouse next to their existing clinic. It will supplement and expand the clinic’s current capabilities, said U.S. Navy Capt. Joseph J. Kochan, deputy command surgeon, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.

“This addition is a significant improvement over the current situation in Helmand. It gives them the ability to take care of their own patients, which is a big step, given right now they rely on the personnel and facilities of Camp Bastion,” Kochan said. “It’s Afghans taking care of Afghans, which is what we are trying to develop.”

Current ANSF personnel surgery needs in the area are solely handled by coalition members at Camp Bastion.

Dr. Sami Yosufazai, ANA surgeon, said, “This is exactly what we need for right now. The ATTU will serve as a lifesaving surgical facility until we can get a bigger regional medical center built. The capabilities of this facility and the training our medical teams will receive at it will greatly improve our medical abilities.”

In addition to its functional surgical capabilities, the ATTU will serve as a training center where coalition members from Camp Bastion teach rotating surgical teams of approximately 20 ANA medical personnel during a 90-day course.

“It is much needed,” said Yosufazai. “It will help us grow and promote our medical readiness.”

The goal is to have the ATTU up and running quickly and using it in a functional manner, treating patients by the end of May.

• Date Taken: 05.03.2013
• Date Posted: 05.13.2013 00:25
• Story ID: 106826
• Location: CAMP SHORBAK, AF