Eielson medics overcome challenges during Operation Pacific Angel - Mongolia

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Yash Rojas
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFNS) --  In a deployed environment, military medical professionals must be prepared to do their job with available resources to make sure people get the help they need.

Several Airmen from the 354th Medical Group had a chance to face these challenges as part of a team of medical professionals who provided needed health care services during Operation Pacific Angel in Mongolia July 17 to 23.

A joint team of 130 Mongolian, American and Sri Lankan military health care personnel provided the local population with services including medical care, dental, optometry, ophthalmology, veterinary and infrastructure development. They visited rural areas in the remote villages of Tsenkermandal, Delgerkhaan, Jargaltkhaan and Ondorkhaan City, which have an increasing need for health screenings and general patient care.

Eielson Air Force Base medics fulfilled deployment taskings for the dental team and pharmacy, interacting with Mongolians daily and focusing entirely on patient care.

Capt. Ross Yost, a 354th Medical Operation Squadron general dentist, along with assisting dental technicians, operated from a small hospital in Ondorkhaan City, located no more than an hour from Ulan Bator, the capital and largest city in Mongolia. Although health facilities were available, few offered the equipment and sophisticated instrumentation Captain Yost and the dental assistants utilize at home station.

"When you don't have those resources available it makes the job more challenging because we [dentists] can't see what we are doing," said Capt. Yost. "You make due with what you have [to get the job done]."

Yost also experienced challenges with sterilization of instruments. The dental team responded by developing its own sterilization method using different concentrations of bleach, thereby preventing cross-contamination.

Although the dental team was not able to see as many people as desired due to manning and time constraints, by the end of the operation more than 600 patients were treated.

Dentists weren't the only ones adapting and overcoming challenges in the Mongolian villages. With residents in need of medication and necessary supplements including vitamins and aspirin, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians ensured patients received the correct prescriptions.

The pharmacy's logistics proved to be a daunting task, especially when receiving supplies, according to Tech. Sgt. Hilda Holmes, the 354th Medical Support Squadron flight chief of the Diagnostics and Therapeutics flight. Early in the operation, language and communication barriers challenged those in the pharmacy when a large portion of the medication labels were all in an unfamiliar language: Russian.

A U.S. Army officer who spoke Russian immediately assisted the pharmacy staff in interpreting and translating medications into English.

"It was rewarding to provide [Mongolian locals] with an immediate service and be effective as a medical team," said Sergeant Holmes. "Informing the rural population on how to take medication and of other general practices was one way we could be really helpful."

For career fields like dentistry and pharmacy, the opportunity to deploy are few and to be able to do a job that helps people is an experience of a lifetime said Captain Yost.

According to Captain Yost and Sergeant Holmes, deploying to a remote location and giving all your time to people in need -- seizing the opportunity to help your fellow man -- can be one of the most rewarding experiences in an Airmen's career.

"[Take a chance] to go see stuff, do something different and help people," added Holmes.

Pacific Angel operations cultivate bonds and foster goodwill between the U.S. and Asian-Pacific countries through humanitarian assistance. Now in its fourth year, Pacific Angel operations are planned and executed by members of 13th Air Force at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.