MEDIA CONTEST: Internship: medics contribute to the fight Published Dec. 26, 2006 By 2006 Media Contest Feature Entry 7 ACC MEDIA CONTEST -- As Iraq slowly recovers from more than 30 years of bondage and dictatorship, honorable citizens, dedicated to changing the face of their nation, continue to come forward to serve the people. Two such people were chosen to complete a two-week internship with the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, after recently graduating from the Iraqi Army Service and Support Institute's Basic Medic Course in Taji. The medics spent their time in the trauma center working 12 hour days assisting Coalition forces with the care of patients suffering from gunshot wounds and other penetrating and blunt battlefield trauma. Iraqi Army Pvt.'s Kasam, and Salah, both from southern Iraq, have a combined total of more than 10 years in the medical field, but they've said their time with Coalition forces was the highlight of their career. "It's amazing what I've been able to observe here," said Kasam with the help of an interpreter. "In Iraqi hospitals, within hours we can lose a patient; here within minutes the patient has his life back. Salah agreed. "The most amazing thing was seeing firsthand that you can actually turn a patient from being near death to being a successful case within minutes," he said. The medics said they chose their line of work as a means to contribute to the fight of saving Iraq. "I felt that joining the Iraqi armed forces was a way to actually affect the insurgency operations," Kasam said. "Through the medical field, I can help to shape the fitness of our fighting force." Salah said for him it was helping those he calls his brothers. "I joined the (Iraqi) army to save lives," Salah said with the help of an interpreter. "I haven't experienced much loss of family or friends due to the war, but I think of all Iraqis as my brethrens. I can help by one day saving their lives using the training and the skills I've learned." The privates, or "Jundis", as they are called in the Iraqi Army, said they were treated like one of the team members, being allowed to assist with the care of all patients who were treated in the trauma center. "I was allowed to work on cases that if I was in my own hospital, I would not have the opportunity to work on," Salah said with a smile. "All patients are the same regardless of what country they are from." Dr. Julio Garcia, MNSTC-I policy health advisor, said the hospital asked for the best two basic medic instructors in the Iraqi Special Forces to undergo this training. "And when I met them, I was instantly impressed with their eagerness and willingness to do whatever it took to participate in this training," he said. Garcia said that type of attitude is exactly why Kasam and Salah were hand selected to be the first to start in positions which will soon develop into a full internship program. The medics will head up the train the trainer course for the Iraqi shock trauma team. The course is expected to be open to other Iraqi Army medics who wish to specialize in this area. According to U.S. Air Force Col. Amir Edward, MNSTCI surgeon, Kasam and Salah formed the inaugural class for the shock trauma training. "We are going to increase the training by bringing doctors and nurses and other medical technicians to continue to increase the amount of medics that are trained at this level," Edward said. "We are about to double our training size because the Iraqis are pushing to take the lead in their military's medical care. "This is our way in the medical community to deliver on MNSTC-I's and the Minister of Defense's transition promise," Edward said. One of the challenges the medics had to face was the language barrier between them and their trainers. The hospital assigned interpreters to work side by side with each intern. But Edward said they will have full-time, dedicated staff for liaison, administrative and translation support for all future rotations to aid with the increase in trainees. As a trainer, Kasam said he hopes to be a part of the process that can change the level of care that Iraqi people can provide and receive. "I want to improve the conditions of my nation," Kasam said. "If the Iraqi system gets the same equipment and training as we've been exposed to in the last few weeks, eventually the difference (between Coalition and Iraqi medical care) will not be there." In the Saddam era, Iraq spent 16 cents on each person to provide medical care. A nation that once had a world-class healthcare system, was bypassed by the rest of the world, Edward said. "Saddam would not allow a lot of outside training to come into the country," he continued. "He limited their books and stopped their technologies meaning internet and satellite communications, so they were isolated, even in the medical communities." Today, with the help of Coalition funding, the government spends about $30 - $40 per person, Edward said. "This is still not enough if you look at the level of medical care and expenditures within the region. A lot of work still remains, and I know that the new minister of health is trying to change things," he said. But Iraqi medical care is definitely a work in progress. With citizens like Kasam and Salah, the Iraqi nation is making progress in its desire to be viewed as an equal with the rest of the world. The medics say they know working with the Coalition is dangerous, but it's not enough to stop their cause. "The fear of coming here and working with the Coalition and the fear of staying at home is the same because the insurgency can come and knock on your door and destroy your life," Kasam said. "So by not taking any actions and staying home, I'm not doing anything; but by coming here and doing what I'm doing, eventually that fear will go away," Kasam said. "My goal is to continue fighting and improving on my skills regardless of the cost," Salah said. "If we remain fearful, then Saddam is back."