Photo By Staff Sgt. Zachary Mott | Iraqi Police unload more than 100 wheelchairs at the Baqubah General Hospital in...... read more read more
BAQUBAH, Iraq (May 21, 2006) -- Iraqi Police braved the heat and hand-delivered 100 wheelchairs to the Baqubah General Hospital May 21 to help meet the citizens" needs for mobility.
The delivery was coordinated by the Ministry of Health and the wheelchairs were delivered by members of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, who also provided security while the IPs delivered the chairs.
The chairs were donated by freewheelchairmission.org, a company in California, to the 332nd Civil Affairs Battalion. The chairs were then requested by 1st Lt. Nyiesha Smith, project representative, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd HBCT, 4th ID, who in turn worked to get the chairs to the Iraqi people.
"(The previous unit) delivered wheelchairs before and it was so popular and people continued to ask for them," Smith said.
There are a large number of Iraqi people who require use of a wheelchair. Currently, there are not enough chairs to meet the need.
"We have a severe shortage of medical equipment in Iraq and here in Diyala Province there are 400 or 500 individuals who have a chronic need for wheelchairs -- they're going to be wheelchair ridden for the rest of their life," said Capt. John Hughes, the brigade surgeon, 3rd HBCT, 4th ID. "This won't take care of all of them but it will go a long way towards it."
There is a list that a committee generated that will help determine who receives the chairs.
"It feels good (to donate the chairs) because that's what were here to do," Hughes said.
| Date Taken: | 05.22.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2006 12:41 |
| Story ID: | 6461 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 19 |
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