Iraqi surgeons attend annual conference in Germany

  • Published
  • By Col. (Dr.) William W. Dodson III
  • Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq Coalition Air Force Training Team
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) --  Iraqi air force flight surgeons attended the annual U.S. Air Forces in Europe Flight Surgeon Conference held March 11 through 21 at Ramstein Air Base.

Major (Dr.) Abdulrazzaq and Lt. (Dr.) Hazem Prior participated in seven sessions of partnering as part of a Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq for the Coalition Air Force Training Team initiative. 

The Iraqi surgeons learned current procedures from their counterparts in workplace operations. Two of the partnering sessions took place at the aeromedical evacuation squadron and at the separate patient staging facility at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The doctors also visited Iraqi patients at the Air Force Theater Hospital, who were excited to talk to doctors in Arabic. Another partnering session took place on a C-17 Globemaster III, which not only had the standard Air Force crew of medics and nurses, but also had a critical care air transport team of physician specialist.

The partnering sessions at Ramstein AB included visits to the flight medicine clinic, the public health section, the bioenvironmental engineering unit, and at a C-130 Hercules fuel tank systems maintenance hangar, because flight surgeons are also in charge of the occupational medicine care of maintainers that may be at risk to hazardous exposures.

The Iraqi flight surgeons briefed their American counterparts on the results of the investigation of the fatal Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crash that occurred in March 2008.

The Iraqi flight surgeons delivered their briefing flawlessly and received applause from the 120 attendees from 26 countries, including, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Charles Bruce Green, the Air Force deputy surgeon general, Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Douglas J. Robb, the Air Mobility Command surgeon general, and many other leading medical personnel from all service branches of the countries attending.

In the end, the Iraqi flight surgeons shared lifesaving lessons with the other doctors at the conference and learned lifesaving information that they will now be able to share with their fellow Iraqi doctors.

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