U.S. Diplomats and Soldiers Partner with Local Anbaris to Deliver Medical Supplies

Anbar | February 17, 2010

Anbar PRT Team Leader Fitzgerald with Hospital Director Mr. Waleed

The Department of State's Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT) in Al-Asad has teamed up with Anbari medical professionals and the soldiers of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division to donate $9 million of medical supplies to the people of Anbar. Nearly 1,400 pieces of medical and dental equipment are being provided free of charge to the hospitals and clinics of Hit, Haditha, Anah, Rawah, Rutbah and Al-Qai'm.

These supplies originally belonged to the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps, but were left behind during the Marines' departure from Al-Anbar Province. The ePRT examined the supplies and determined that over 80% of the materials were brand new and still in the original packaging. The ePRT and the soldiers of the 82nd organized the supplies by category and packed them into nine truck containers, each destined for a different hospital or clinic in western Anbar.

The 82nd Airborne Division paid for the recovery of the supplies and
provided the equipment and manpower to transport and organize the equipment at Al-Asad Airbase. The ePRT provided the technical experts to evaluate the supplies and coordinate their delivery to Anbari medical facilities. Anbari medical professionals identified the neediest institutions and provided trucks and drivers to transport the humanitarian supplies from Al-Asad Airbase to the cities of western Anbar.

The ePRT is composed of civilian diplomats and subject matter experts and is a component of the Department of State's Provincial Reconstruction Team in Anbar Province. Its mission is to cooperate with provincial local government, business and civil society organizations to enhance their capacity and improve the delivery of essential services to the people of Anbar.

The ePRT and the 82nd Airborne Division are proud to have taken part in this humanitarian effort, which will directly enhance the capacity of local medical institutions to provide essential care to their patients.