Story by: Spc. Amanda Morrissey
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KIRKUK, Iraq (April 19, 2007) — “They do more with less.” That’s how Capt. Christopher Curtis, the surgeon for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, described the doctors at the pediatric hospital in Kirkuk. Now, thanks to the efforts of Curtis and his team, the doctors will have more to work with when it comes to medication and supplies.

Capt. Curtis, in coordination with A Company, 3-25th Brigade Support Battalion, delivered a large quantity of medical supplies to the Kirkuk Pediatric Hospital, which is the only pediatric hospital in the province. The supplies included 6, 500 liters of IV fluids, 4,000 IV needles and tubing, as well as antibiotics, surgical anesthesia, x-ray films and sutures.

“This will really make a difference because it will help them stay ahead,” Curtis said. “I see this as a pay it forward type of activity where we start the ball moving, get it going for the next few months, and then they will be able to continue it on from there.”

“The supplies we’re delivering are over six months worth of medical care for the children. That means any discretionary funds the hospital gets in the future can go towards much needed surgical supplies and durable medical equipment to sustain its medical operations,” Curtis added.

The supplies will help battle the most common ailments of Iraqi children: fever, infection and dehydration. One of the more important items delivered were the bags of IV solution, which will allow for approximately 3,000 children to be treated for dehydration and receive IV medications, said Curtis.

The doctors at the Kirkuk Pediatric Hospital are excited by the arrival of the supplies, and what it means for the treatment of their small patients.

“It is obvious by looking around that the hospital is short on supplies and equipment,” said Dr. Samir Yousef, a senior pediatrician and the head of the medical department at the hospital. “Today is very important because we received some very necessary supplies. We are very thankful to U.S. Soldiers for getting these things for us.”

While the hospital still needs some important items, such as blood transfusion sets, the supplies they received will go a long ways toward improving the level of care they are able to give.

“The skills of the physicians are amazing. They know their material well, they know what they want to do, and they have a plan of treatment. They just asked for supplies so they can complete that treatment for the children,” Curtis said.

Normally, the hospital receives its medical supplies from the Ministry of Health in Baghdad. Due to security issues associated with the delivery route from Baghdad to Kirkuk, the pediatric hospital has been unable to obtain the things it needs to properly treat patients. There are also risks with the supplies being diverted to the black market or taken to support anti-Iraqi forces, said Curtis.

That’s where Coalition Forces step in. In order to ensure the supplies reach the hospital so that they can be used quickly to treat the children, the brigade delivered its load of medicine directly to the hospital.

“Our goal is to keep the supplies where they’re needed most by delivering them directly to the hospital, where the hospital has its own storage facilities and means of accountability for the equipment,” Curtis said.
The pediatric hospital will now have the capability to perform approximately 12, 750 surgical cases with anesthesia, or roughly three months worth of surgeries. It will also enable the doctors to treat 1, 720 children suffering with seizures, and care for 2, 400 children with infections.

Everyone involved in the medical supply delivery, from the hospital doctors and administrators to the troops who delivered the load, have high hopes for what can be accomplished now that some of the shortages at the pediatric hospital have been remedied.

“The supplies and medicines change the type of services we are able to provide and improve medical care for the children,” said Dr. Rashid Burhan, the deputy director with the Ministry of Health in Kirkuk. “With these supplies, we have everything for medical care. I want to let the people know we are ready for any emergency and can treat any condition.”