On Friday we told you about the U.S military medical exercise ongoing in northern Belize. It's called MEDRETE or the medical readiness training exercise and it sees U.S. forces conducting medical services in three villages in the north. On Friday the team was in Guinea Grass Village and we went to see what they were up to.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
It is the first day for U.S. Southern Command Medical Readiness Training exercise and here in Guinea Grass Village for this one day the school has been turned into a virtual hospital offering medical services ranging from general medicine to eye care.
Col. Harry Marshall Jr.,
"Our mission is to provide Belize with primary care, dental, optometry, and veterinary services along with pediatric services."
The process is run very much like a military operation. First the patients register and are sorted out depending on the need. Once the registration is over they come over to Sergeant Hassan Jones who basically directs the medical traffic.
Sgt. Hassan Jones,
"My purpose is to record when people come in and keep the flowing going. So I bring in people and find out who need to be seen; by the dentist or the medical doctor. We have medical, vision, and pharmacy. As the director I sit them down, get them in their seat, make sure not too many are waiting here. By the color codes on the paper, that's how I know where they need to be at. The red means medical doctor. Green is pediatric. The medical doctor is also seeing the pediatrics so the green and red kind of go together. You have the black that is the vision. The blue is for the dental, your teeth.?"
Dorla Foreman and her grandfather ended up in the eye clinic and she says they came here because in rural Belize when it comes to medical care whenever it reaches them they have to grab at the opportunity.
Dorla Foreman,
"I'm here for my eyes. I brought my grandpa for his eyes because he can't see out of one of the eyes properly and I am diabetic so my eyes give me a lot of problems and so we came to see if maybe we can get some treatment, maybe some drops or something, because my eyes are very dry and irritating and probably by coming here they'll have a definite idea how to treat the problem."
Alfonso Noble,
Is this an opportunity you would ordinarily get? Is this something you are able to do any day?
Dorla Foreman,
"No not all the time because basically you have to go to specialists and with the opportunity you get right now you get glasses, it works, and you don't have to pay for it; that's one of the good things. And it is okay because you don't get that opportunity every day or every week so when it comes along you have to grab that opportunity."
2nd Lt. Medical Officer BDF
"Its good to see the people come out and take the opportunity and its been a good experience for all of us. Most of the times they don't have the access to medical coverage so these types of missions really really make an impact on the communities."
Sgt. Hassan Jones,
"I'm delighted to help. I enjoy helping and I enjoy the people. We joke, we laugh, and I enjoy it. Everything is nice, I enjoy it. Its just the heat, water keeps me hydrated."
While Jones keeps hydrated in the intense heat of this season Colonel Marshall says that this experience is exactly what the u.s. military is looking for.
Col. Harry Marshall Jr.,
"It is training for us. We are all physicians and we are physicians, nurses, medical technicians, who are soldiers. So part of our training is deploying to other countries and states and providing services. So this allows us to deploy to a foreign country, interact with the military of that foreign country, provide what we are trained to provide and then re-deploy back home."
But before that and for the next four days the team of 28 medical providers will remain posted here in Guinea Grass Village, doing general medical check ups, pulling teeth, and checking for eye problems. As they do so Marshall says they are working closely with the Ministry of Health to not only provide health care but also prevention.
Col. Harry Marshall Jr.,
We are working well with the Belizean Ministry of Health. In terms of follow-up, we provide medicine for high blood pressure, diabetes, common skin diseases, medicine for arthritics, vitamins for kids, and a wide variety of medication. Now in terms of follow-up, we have the rural health nurses working with us so that when we give these medications out and these patients need follow-up. The rural health nurse is already aware and is plugged into the system."
And now because of these men and women from both the U.S. military and the BDF, that system will hopefully be working better.
After today the medical team will be moving to San Pablo Village for two after which the exercise ends.
