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Iraqis celebrate opening of refurbished operating room at Musayyib Hospital |
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Sunday, 17 September 2006 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20060917-02
Sept. 17, 2006
Iraqis celebrate opening of refurbished operating room at Musayyib Hospital
By Spc. Edgar Reyes
2nd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div
FOB KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Musayyib Hospital to celebrate the opening of a refurbished operating room Monday.
Prior to the refurbishment, the operating room lacked air conditioning and ventilation.
Due to the austere condition of the original operating room, there were lengthy delays between surgeries due to cleanliness concerns, said Humam Saif, a Musayyib Hospital physician. If blood splattered on the floor during a surgery, it was cleaned up with gasoline and other solvents. It created a breeding ground for various forms of bacteria and germs, which were capable of causing the death of a patient during surgery despite how minor the injury may have been.
Approximately 10-20 people died a week during surgery due to complications or the severity of their injuries, said Saif. A large portion also died from blood loss as they were transferred to Hillah Hospital to receive a blood transfusion.
In addition to the refurbishments, a blood bank is scheduled to be built inside the hospital to allow doctors to treat patients in Musayyib instead of sending them to Hillah.
“These improvements to the hospital will help a lot of people,” said Mahdi Alnajim, Musayyib city council member. “Not only will it help the people in Musayyib, it will also help people in Iskandariyah, Jurf and everyone in the immediate surrounding area.”
The hospital’s morgue was also improved and is now capable of holding 18 bodies.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Patrick Donahoe, commander, 1st Bn., 67th Armor Regt., 2nd BCT, spoke on the future relations he hopes will take place between the Iraqi people and the Coalition Forces.
“We are going to continue our relations with the Iraqi people,” said Donahoe. “This is just one project of many more projects that is going to help the government take care of its people and provide better health care for Iraq.”
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HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPH AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - BAGHDAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS NCO IN CHARGE, MASTER SGT. ERIC LOBSINGER AT:
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, COMMERCIAL: (914) 822-8174 OR IRAQNA 011-964-790-192-4675.
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