Physician assistant makes difference in Afghan lives

  • Published
  • By Capt. Stacie N. Shafran
  • Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktya
GARDEZ, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Servicemembers of the Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktya in Gardez, Afghanistan, are helping to develop the infrastructure necessary for the Afghan people to succeed in a post-conflict environment.

One member of the Paktya PRT is Capt. James Parris.

The physician assistant from the 96th Medical Operations Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., had five days notice for the deployment to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Captain Parris is the PRT's director of medical plans. On a daily basis, he maintains responsibilities to his team, the local nationals, and the Afghan government. 

"My work here is more of coordination, meetings, project overview and monitoring," he said. "Before I came here, I thought my primary mission would be taking care of my team for nine months. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be coordinating projects that affect the lives of almost 500,000 Afghans."

The forward operating base he and the PRT team are based at is located just outside of Gardez City in Paktya Province, approximately 45 miles from the Pakistan border. At an altitude of 7,680 feet above sea level, the province is about the size of Rhode Island and is populated with nearly half a million people. 

The teams have become an integral part of the long-term strategy to transition the lines of security, governance, and economics to the people of Afghanistan. Teams strive to legitimize the Afghan government by facilitating provincial development, security, and reconstruction in order to create enduring security and stability within the province they serve.

Captain Parris supervises three enlisted Air Force medics assigned to the team. They treat the American Soldiers, civilians, Afghan security guards and interpreters who reside on the FOB.

"Together we are responsible for taking care of our team's illnesses or injuries," he said. "We are well prepared to care for injuries, whether combat related or otherwise. My team also conducts weekly medical training for the PRT, ensuring we're all ready in the event of an attack on the FOB or on a convoy."

The captain also oversees programs related to the province's medical or health concerns. In the past, PRTs offered medical civil affairs programs that provided mobile medical care to local Afghans. 

"This helped people directly, but over the years we found that they essentially undermined the Afghan government and the local economy," he said. "If our medical team treats ill Afghans, this takes money away from the local doctors. If we provide medicine, the local pharmacist can't feed his family. These MEDCAPS also had an American "face" on them, something we now strive to avoid. Our PRT's goal is to develop and foster the Afghan government's credibility and strength."

Captain Parris empowers the locals to work directly with the minister of public health, provincial health director, and director of the provincial hospital to formulate plans for improvement and to discuss the population's health status.

"We are striving for quality and sustainability in all areas," Captain Parris said. "As the saying goes, we are no longer giving people fish. We are teaching them to fish so that they can sustain long after our mission here is complete."

Most of the villages still lack power or transportation and have limited health facilities. Getting to a health facility is still a long, grueling process for some. In the past, people died from illness or injury due to the inability to get to a health facility. Now the members of the PRT are focused on projects, such as building road, that will connect people to their infrastructure and increase trade.

The captain arranges for clinics to be staffed and ensures that needed equipment and medicine are available. He's overseeing a $7.5 million 100-bed provincial hospital, a mid-wife training center, a nurse training center, a maternity hospital, an eye care hospital, as well as the building of numerous clinics.

In order to combat malnutrition among children, Captain Parris is trying to institute a food program province-wide over the winter months that will aid children under 5. 

The mortality rate for this age group is tremendous and nearly 20 percent of the children here do not reach their 5th birthday, he said. The "strong foods" program uses locally purchased items such as almonds, milk, oil, sugar, and liquid vitamins to make high quality "plumpy nut" food. It is a paste that kids love and consuming it increases their weight a pound per week, restoring their health status to normal in as little as six to eight weeks.

With six more months remaining on his deployment, Captain Parris is optimistic about the progress he and his team will bring to Paktya. 

"I have always wanted to make a difference and help people live a better life," he said. "That's the reason I became a (physician assistant) more than eight years ago. After this assignment to PRT Paktya, I will know for sure that I have turned my dream into reality."

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