Air Force Maj. Paul J. C. Valdez provides extra security during the mission to Kuchi Village. (Photo by G. A. Volb)
Kuchi villagers welcome camp's medical assistance team
Five miles northeast of camp lays Kuchi Village, a rural community of nearly 1,000 who, in much need of medical attention, welcomed a coalition medical assistance visit April 5.
Arriving at the village, visitors are met with an atmosphere similar to that of a county fair --- makeshift accommodations, animals living in close proximity to the villagers, and the smell that comes when no waste disposal system is in place.
The villagers, however, seemed good hearted and open.
“I’m happy about this mission,” said Kuchi Village Malik Nungless as he looked out over the crowd of villagers who had gathered. “I’m happy because it was the coalition and Afghan national army that came to help us.”
The 72 year old sporting a thick, white beard appreciated the opportunity to receive free check ups and medicine. And it wasn’t the first time he welcomed these guests.
“We’ve visited the people of Kuchi Village on numerous occasions and they told us they had some medical issues,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Christianson, a medical embedded training team NCO in charge assigned to Camp Alamo, originally from Effingham, Ill.
Christianson said during one of their previous visits they agreed to return and perform an on-site medical evaluation and treatment of the villagers. Afghan doctors and medics, both army and civilian, along with their U.S. counterparts, ensured 80 villagers were seen – to include women and children.
“We dispensed approximately 300 prescriptions, while referring nine patients to the local Cure Medical Hospital,” said Christianson. “Much of it was similar to what we’ve seen at other villages – muscular pain and various infectious diseases requiring antibiotic treatment.” The issues were, in many cases, due to their poor living conditions and lack of clean drinking water. In one particular case a 35-year-old man, who looked to be in his upper 40s, came into the makeshift medical tent wanting doctors to look at his lab and ultrasound results.
“There was nothing to indicate what preceded the ordering of the tests,” said Dr. (Air Force Lt. Col.) Scott Caulkins, a family practice physician normally assigned to Hurlburt Field, Fla. “He gave a history of edema and body aches. Labs showed signs of kidney disease with proteinuria and mildly elevated liver function studies, and negative hepatitis tests. Ultrasounds of the liver, gall bladder, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder only showed stones up in the kidney.
“As long as the stones stay in the kidney, he has a greater risk of being harmed in the process of getting them removed, but the proteinuria suggests other medical kidney disease,” said Caulkins, from Niceville, Fla. “We gave him a referral for an internal medicine evaluation at the Cure hospital downtown, and recommended increased hydration in general.”
Then there was 6-year-old Neamatullah who, only days earlier, had a run in with one of the many large dogs loitering throughout the village, leaving him with a sizeable chunk of his backside missing.
“The dog bit him four days ago,” said his father Ghundal. “Yet this was the second time the ANA and U.S. doctors have treated him.”
“It’s always a pleasure to get out and perform our real mission, helping the local Afghan people that are so desperately in need of medical care, making new friends, and exchanging cultural knowledge,” said Christianson. Camp Alamo’s commander agreed on the importance of such missions.
“Humanitarian assistance visits, such as this, are a key component of counter-insurgency operations,” said Army Lt. Col. Brian Redmon, Camp Alamo Mentor Group commander.
“The importance of this is demonstrated by the multi-national cooperation between the Afghan, U.K. and U.S. personnel to make this assistance mission a reality,” added the 44-year-old Redmon, a native of Springfield, Ill.
