They treated thousands of Pakistanis, and now leaving all their equipment with Pak army’s medical core. There are some nice pictures on the BBC link.
Thank you America. This is what we call a true friend.
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BBC NEWS
Fond memories for MASH staff**
By Zulfiqar Ali
BBC News, Muzaffarabad
“A man came to MASH with his son suffering from meningitis and we all thought the child wasn’t going to make it,” chief physician Major Robert C Piotrowski recalls, referring to a 16-year-old with meningitis.
"But a ventilator and heavy doses of antibiotics later, he was able to go home fully recovered.
“I have never seen a father so happy.”
For Major Piotrowski, it was one of the highlights of the work of the very last US Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).
On Thursday, US forces handed over the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, stationed in the earthquake-devastated city of Muzaffarabad, to the Pakistan army’s Medical Battalion.
Household name
The MASH reached Muzaffarabad on October 22 almost two weeks after the 8 October earthquake that devastated Northern Pakistan and large parts of Kashmir under its control.
“We were initially told that we might have to stay here for 90 days, but after 90 days we were told it could be up to 180 days,” MASH’s deputy commander Lt Col Sammartino told the BBC News website.
The US army’s mobile medical units became a household name in many parts of the world because of the famous TV serial MASH.
The 212th MASH treated more than 20,000 people during its time in Muzaffarabad.
“These included 5,000 who were injured directly by the earthquake while the rest were suffering from general ailments such as cough, cold and backache,” Lt Col Sammartino said.
The 84-bed field hospital includes a primary health care and emergency medical treatment section, a surgical suite with two operating tables, two intensive care units, one intermediate and one minimal care ward, a pharmacy, a lab and radiology units.
Its 50 major components including medical equipment and other infrastructure are manned by a staff of around 200.
Major Piotrowski said the Americans were leaving with lasting memories.
“Not all of the 425 surgeries we did here were orthopaedic,” he said. “Many related to ailments that were not earthquake related such as thyroid complications and even hernia.”
The 212th MASH has had extensive experience of hostile duty across the world. It has worked in the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East and now in Pakistan.
‘Job over’
MASH officials say they are extremely pleased at the way their work in the earthquake zone was received.
“Everyone appreciated what we were doing and it was great to interact with the locals and get feedback on what people were saying about our work,” Lt Col Sammartino said.
“We are no longer getting any quake related patients so I think we can confidently say that our primary job - that of treating the direct victims of the quake - is now over.”
Explaining the scope of their work, commander Garry Kirchner said that usually their missions lasted about 45 days.
“We stayed on longer here simply because we basically had two crises to deal with,” he said.
"We had the earthquake and then we had the winter. So other than treating the injured, [US forces] were also involved in delivering relief goods especially food and shelter to all of the remote areas and that required more time.
“The situation has changed over the past four months,” Commander Kirchner said.
“There are stockpiles of food and humanitarian aid and it is now really time for us to leave.”
‘Enriching experience’
The MASH spent their last few days training Pakistanis to use the stuff they are leaving behind.
“Working with Pakistani nurses and doctors has been a very memorable experience because it gave us a chance to see how people of a different culture do things differently from us,” Lt Col Sammartino said.
“The cultural education will be a lasting and enriching experience.”
This week’s transfer of authority ceremony marked the end of a two-week transition period that provided time for the Pakistan army to take inventory and train on the equipment.
Pakistanis working with MASH seem to be aware that they are a part of history as this is the last of the MASH units. They are being replaced by Combat Support Hospitals, to be known as CASH.
“When I first arrived in Muzaffarabad, I saw the whole town was decimated, there was rubble everywhere, people were just standing around in shock and despair,” Major Piotrowski said.
“But now you can see a lot of construction going on. Shops are opening up, kids are going back to school . It is great to see Muzaffarabad moving from devastation to recovery.”
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/02/17 14:37:19 GMT