Heros: Medical Professionals Working Miracles On Their Own Dime

International hospitals in Kabul do not allow cameras because of cultural sensitivities. The treatment of female patients by male doctors is not universally accepted in this corner of the world. Educated families in Kabul have no problem with male doctors treating their women; in the south, men will fight to the death to avenge the slight to their family honor if a male doctor so much as looks at their woman. I have been to the CURE hospital and the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) and have gotten a good idea of their missions and operations. I have a good friend who volunteers his time and skills at CURE, which is how I obtained these photos. There is also a German hospital in Kabul, but I have never visited it. There are no similar efforts by closer, richer, or more influential nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or China. I often wonder why.

Birth defects in Afghanistan are common. The culturally accepted practice of marrying within the family is believed to cause this alarming problem. Last winter, Phil Woolas, of the British Environmental Ministry, ignited a firestorm by calling attention to the alarming rates of birth defects in the Pakistani community due to cousin marriages. Just raising issues like that in England is now grounds for dismissal. That to me is very strange.

It is common to see children with club feet awkwardly moving down the street. I was born with a club foot. I read somewhere that former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was, too. Correcting that type of birth defect has been a routine procedure in the West for over a hundred years. Correcting those defects is not common here, and when you see children with cleft palates or club feet in public, they are not laughing and playing.

The heroes of this story are the doctors and nurses who volunteer their time and spend their own money to come here and do these procedures. They do not seek attention, they are not self-promoters, they live outside the wire without any of the elaborate security procedures found in official US government programs. They come here to help, and help they do. My Dad, a retired general officer (Marine, of course), forwarded me an email he received from a friend about a highly qualified doctor sent to Kabul on a six-month deployment. He related a story about going out to the main Kabul hospital to consult on an orthopedic case, but getting there (about a mile away from his base) took days as the security escort package was arranged. When he arrived, the head of the hospital served up tea and a good hour of chit chat. When the Americans asked to see the patient they came to examine, they were told the child was sent to Pakistan for treatment a week ago.

This situation is beyond frustrating. I used to walk to work daily along the same streets that he had to travel for his appointment, as driving in downtown Kabul is such a nightmare. We are losing the war in Afghanistan quickly, and one of the reasons for this is that our military prioritizes force protection over everything else. If force protection is the main mission, it would be easier to conduct it back in the United States. The U.S. military has sent a highly skilled orthopedic surgeon here for a six-month tour, yet all he does is go to Bagram once a month. His first trip to Bagram took three days because he had to stage a day early at the Kabul military airfield, which is just half a mile from his base, and wait for a flight. In contrast, we can drive from Kabul to Bagram in just 45 minutes. Civilian surgeons who are here at their own expense—without armored trucks or armed escorts—could operate on hundreds of patients and train many doctors if they could afford to stay for six months. As a retired military officer, it pains me to write this, but it is the truth.

The doctors who volunteer at CURE also work on adults. Team Texas had a great plastic surgeon who replaced the ear of a truck driver who had lost his to a Taliban checkpoint in the south when he was stopped while hauling fuel for ISAF.

 

The men and women from France, Germany, and America who come to this war-torn land to help people who are so poor and need so much represent the best of what our countries stand for. Giving so much and asking for nothing in return means something to me, and it should to you, too. They do not get medals, bands, parades, or formal recognition. They are heroes and do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. They make all of us a little prouder and a little better. May God watch over and bless them.