Say "Ah," Siniyah
January 11, 2008
In Siniyah, a town just outside of Bayji, Iraq, there stands a large, new, two-story building--a clinic, complete with examination rooms, a pharmacy, and even a dentist’s office with two exam rooms. Most of the time the building sits locked and empty. The dentist’s x-ray machine and chairs are covered in dust. Built by the Army’s Corps of Engineers, the clinic has not been embraced the way it would be in most American communities. There is a theory that the citizens of Siniyah are reluctant to use the building because it was built by Americans, and a shortage of doctors creates additional challenges.
Siniyah is a troublesome place. The corruption that surrounds the Bayji Oil Refinery spills over into Siniyah, where there are enough bad people to keep the good people in line. It is possible this is why the clinic is not thriving. But at some point, the residents must realize a clinic is a clinic. And in Iraq life is hard enough when one is well; it can’t possibly be easy when one is sick.
In order to put a friendlier face on the Corps of Engineers’ well-intended project, the soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade have begun holding free healthcare days with the help of the Iraqi Army (IA) and the Iraqi Police (IP). Our medics and the IA medics come together to serve the people of Siniyah with the hope that every patient treated will become an advocate for the clinic.
The first free clinic day brought in over three hundred patients, more than the medics expected, more than they were prepared for. They were very pleased by the turnout and applied everything they learned from that experience to the second free day, which occurred on January 5.
A lot of work goes into coordinating such an event. The 1st Battalion’s Bravo Company, led by Captain Aaron Billingsley, and the Military Transition Team (MiTT), led by Major Oscar Pintado, worked together to make sure they were prepared for a big crowd. Thousands of dollars worth of medicine and supplies were transported to the clinic, along with stuffed animals for the kids, and all of the medics from the area’s IA Battalions were called in. They led the way in terms of treating patients and building goodwill, with our soldiers acting in a supporting role. The IPs helped with security, which included crowd control, and screening each patient before he or she entered the building.
The clinic is located near the markets, and though it was a damp and chilly day, Market Street was busy, fruit and vegetable stands, butcher shops, and other businesses were ready for the day, perhaps benefitting from, maybe even anticipating, the crowd that had turned out to see the medics.
From 10:00 am until about 2:00 pm, a steady stream of patients flowed through the waiting area and then to private examination rooms, and then back out to the lobby where prescriptions were filled if necessary. No one had to wait long once inside, and by the end of the four hours most of the medicine and all of the stuffed animals had been dispensed.
It was hard to judge how the people of Siniyah felt about this massive effort organized on their behalf. Obviously, sick people are not happy people. The patients with minor ailments, aches and pains or colds, probably benefitted simply by receiving the attention of people who cared. A lot of children passed through the building, some sick, some just there waiting with their parents, and they must have been impressed by the scale of the operation, the novelty of the day.
There were limits to the amount of care the medics could provide. An older man needed insulin, and that is something the medics cannot supply. A mother brought in her baby, who had a skin condition which caused the skin to die faster than it could be shed, resulting in painful patches of dead skin pulling at the healthy skin underneath. Treatment would be very expensive and ongoing, and is not something the medics are in a position to provide.
So much of the work the soldiers do is one step in a much longer process. What they do today may result in something positive happening tomorrow, but the wait is usually much longer. They are not often rewarded for their good deeds, not that they expect to be. In the case of the clinic, the best reward for the soldiers would be to see it up and running on its own, to be able to stop by unannounced and find the gates unlocked, the rooms busy enough that the dust isn’t allowed to settle. The soldiers are trying to improve the quality of life in Siniyah and other villages all over Iraq, but it is up to the Iraqis ultimately to decide whether or not they want to take care of themselves. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
In Siniyah, a town just outside of Bayji, Iraq, there stands a large, new, two-story building--a clinic, complete with examination rooms, a pharmacy, and even a dentist’s office with two exam rooms. Most of the time the building sits locked and empty. The dentist’s x-ray machine and chairs are covered in dust. Built by the Army’s Corps of Engineers, the clinic has not been embraced the way it would be in most American communities. There is a theory that the citizens of Siniyah are reluctant to use the building because it was built by Americans, and a shortage of doctors creates additional challenges.
Siniyah is a troublesome place. The corruption that surrounds the Bayji Oil Refinery spills over into Siniyah, where there are enough bad people to keep the good people in line. It is possible this is why the clinic is not thriving. But at some point, the residents must realize a clinic is a clinic. And in Iraq life is hard enough when one is well; it can’t possibly be easy when one is sick.
In order to put a friendlier face on the Corps of Engineers’ well-intended project, the soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade have begun holding free healthcare days with the help of the Iraqi Army (IA) and the Iraqi Police (IP). Our medics and the IA medics come together to serve the people of Siniyah with the hope that every patient treated will become an advocate for the clinic.
The first free clinic day brought in over three hundred patients, more than the medics expected, more than they were prepared for. They were very pleased by the turnout and applied everything they learned from that experience to the second free day, which occurred on January 5.
A lot of work goes into coordinating such an event. The 1st Battalion’s Bravo Company, led by Captain Aaron Billingsley, and the Military Transition Team (MiTT), led by Major Oscar Pintado, worked together to make sure they were prepared for a big crowd. Thousands of dollars worth of medicine and supplies were transported to the clinic, along with stuffed animals for the kids, and all of the medics from the area’s IA Battalions were called in. They led the way in terms of treating patients and building goodwill, with our soldiers acting in a supporting role. The IPs helped with security, which included crowd control, and screening each patient before he or she entered the building.
The clinic is located near the markets, and though it was a damp and chilly day, Market Street was busy, fruit and vegetable stands, butcher shops, and other businesses were ready for the day, perhaps benefitting from, maybe even anticipating, the crowd that had turned out to see the medics.
From 10:00 am until about 2:00 pm, a steady stream of patients flowed through the waiting area and then to private examination rooms, and then back out to the lobby where prescriptions were filled if necessary. No one had to wait long once inside, and by the end of the four hours most of the medicine and all of the stuffed animals had been dispensed.
It was hard to judge how the people of Siniyah felt about this massive effort organized on their behalf. Obviously, sick people are not happy people. The patients with minor ailments, aches and pains or colds, probably benefitted simply by receiving the attention of people who cared. A lot of children passed through the building, some sick, some just there waiting with their parents, and they must have been impressed by the scale of the operation, the novelty of the day.
There were limits to the amount of care the medics could provide. An older man needed insulin, and that is something the medics cannot supply. A mother brought in her baby, who had a skin condition which caused the skin to die faster than it could be shed, resulting in painful patches of dead skin pulling at the healthy skin underneath. Treatment would be very expensive and ongoing, and is not something the medics are in a position to provide.
So much of the work the soldiers do is one step in a much longer process. What they do today may result in something positive happening tomorrow, but the wait is usually much longer. They are not often rewarded for their good deeds, not that they expect to be. In the case of the clinic, the best reward for the soldiers would be to see it up and running on its own, to be able to stop by unannounced and find the gates unlocked, the rooms busy enough that the dust isn’t allowed to settle. The soldiers are trying to improve the quality of life in Siniyah and other villages all over Iraq, but it is up to the Iraqis ultimately to decide whether or not they want to take care of themselves. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
posted by Shelby Monroe at 7:19 AM
1 Comments:
Thank you for your excellent photographic/journalistic coverage of the good things our troops are doing in Iraq. As always, I look forward to reading your latest.
You are doing something that most of the media has failed to do -- giving us a real insight into the positive aspects of this war.
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