Civil Medical Assistance

June 2004

Jim Ellifritt, from Afghanistan

Rev. Jim Ellifritt, an ordained UB minister, serves as superintendent of Northwest Conference. Right now, he goes by the title Lieutenant Colonel Jim Ellifritt. Last October, his Army Reserves unit was called to active duty to help rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure. He has been in Afghanistan since January 2004. His son, Jim Jr., also in the Army Reserves, has been in Iraq. Jim's monthly newsletters have been quite interesting. We pass them on for your benefit.



Trained Birth Assistant Program Grand Opening. L-r: SFC Orsi, Dr. Gonar, Shaw

We continue to be busy. If we could clone ourselves, there still wouldn't be enough time to cover all the needs represented.

Soon I will be home on leave. God willing, we are just over halfway through the deployment. This month a little about Afghan Health Care.

We conducted our first Civil Medical Assistance (CMA) visit. A group of doctors and vets came to help the local people. We had around 350 people access our health system at the villages and around 3000 animals were treated. Health care for the civilian populace is universal and free.

When it comes to something free, you should always know what the cost is. Beware of free things! All you have to do in Afghanistan to be treated is go to the hospital or clinic. Doctors here make 2000 Afghanies per month. or approximately $40. All prescriptions are free; however, once the drugs are gone. they're gone. Usually they last about four days per quarter. Most people here treat themselves, as they have no transportation to get to a hospital.

Women here have no health-care access for themselves. During childbirth, many die along with the child (ten each in just one of the nine districts of Zabol last year). Afghanistan has the third highest infant mortality rate and death during labor in Asia.

Medical training and availability here are difficult at best. During the CMA, we located a boy that was seven years old with a severely dislocated elbow. Mom and Dad had kept it wrapped to his body for several weeks as it was too difficult to get to the hospital. Our doc got to him in time. Had treatment not been given, the boy's growth plate would have been permanently stunted. A little girl with double clubfeet was also located; Dad had six other small children. The operation by an orthopedic doctor was $1,800 US, or about a billion dollars to him. It was a pure joy to coordinate transportation, and for one of our Reserve Doctors who is now on active duty, to provide the surgery free. Our only cost was meager lodging, food, and transportation. The life will be forever changed!

The hospital was completely out of drugs. No antibiotics or any other type of drug was available. We were able to provide $10,000 emergency relief funding through a program I have access to.

There are no trained midwifes in my province. With the help of a local doctor team (husband and wife) and one of my NCOs, SFC Victoria Orsi, we have started a Midwife training program and a Trained Birth Assistant program. We have 30 ladies enrolled. We have provided a $10,000 budget to house, feed, provide security, transportation, rent, training material and a small stipend ($2 per day) and other needed supplies. Prayerfully, we will be able to reduce both infant mortality and death during childbirth. The women also learn about hygiene, water quality, immunization (last year seven cases of polio in our region). More work than ability or time to get it done.

Security continues to be a problem in the outlying areas. They leave my folks and me alone but have been hitting their own guys pretty hard. They haven't kept us from doing any missions yet. We travel with pretty heavy armament. Normally they come out at night like bandits.

Well, that is about all the new news! Looking forward to a break!

As Always in Christ,

Jim Ellifritt