Volunteer medics praised for care of bomb victims

Sep 27 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

MERSEYSIDE medics were last night praised for their efforts in treating civilian casualties after a suicide bomber struck in Afghanistan, killing 26 people.

The volunteers from the 208 Field Hospital, a Territorial Army Unit based in Liverpool, treated 57 victims who were injured by the suicide bomber in an indiscriminate attack in southern Gereshk.

The medics from the unit, which has its headquarters in Childwall, Liverpool and additional training locations in Ellesmere Port, treated the local civilians and officers of the Afghan National Police after the bomber blew himself up next to the bus station where people were shopping before Ramadan.

Eight officers were killed in the attack and it is believed the police were the intended target.

Last night the 85 soldiers from this field hospital, who were deployed to Afghanistan in July, were recognised for their swift response to the incident and for the rapid way they assessed and treated those who had been injured.

Task Force Helmand spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Mayo said medics had worked alongside Afghan National Security Forces to provide immediate assistance following the incident on September 10.

He said that Afghan National Security Forces were deployed to secure the area around the site of the explosion and fourteen casualties were evacuated to a nearby British/Afghan National Army forward operating base for initial treatment. They were then evacuated by Chinook helicopter to International Security Assistance Force medical facilities.

A further 43 casualties were admitted to the hospital at Gereshk.

He said: “This is the second time within a week that innocent civilians have been deliberately targeted by Taliban insurgents and is one of the biggest attacks of this type we’ve seen in Helmand.

“Task Force Helmand thoroughly abhors indiscriminate attacks on civilians and the Afghan police.

“We immediately offered assistance to the local authorities and 208 are providing emergency treatment to some of the victims, 14 of whom have been evacuated to ISAF medical facilities in Helmand and Kandahar Provinces.

“The unit’s swift and professional response definitely saved lives and they were able to ensure those with serious injuries were evacuated to receive further care quickly and efficiently.”

The unit will be based in the Helmand Province until they are due to return home in October.

Most are based at Camp Bastion, although some are at Lashkar Gar – also in Helmand.

The role of 208 Field Hospital in Afghanistan is to man and operate a field hospital within Camp Bastion. The field hospital has two wards with a total of 25 beds, two operating theatres, accident and emergency, physiotherapy, X-ray, CT scanning – and most other departments you would find in an NHS hospital.

carolineinnes