Iraq
AL NOOR VILLAGE, Iraq - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South District and the Diwaniyah Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) are proud to announce the grand opening of a $450 thousand Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) located in al Noor village near Sumer, Qadisiyah Province.
According to Capt. Robert Elliott, USACE Officer in Charge of the Qadisiyah/Najaf Resident office, the facility’s location was chosen in response to the lack of medical services in the area. “It is estimated that the 3,552-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art healthcare center will service the immediate healthcare needs of some 10,000 Iraqis living in the al Noor village of the al Sumer neighborhood,” Elliott explained.
The clinic will provide basic medical care and advanced diagnostic and monitoring capabilities for acute and chronic illnesses. “This new clinic, a gift from the American people for a healthy Iraqi people, will add modern treatments for pregnant women, a place for emergency care, vaccinations, and a place for diagnosing disease,” said PRT Public Health Advisor Samuel Watson.
The new facility includes a physician’s office with an adjoining exam room, two nurse stations, a pharmacy, a mother and childcare treatment room, vaccination room and health education department.
During the January 11 ribbon cutting ceremony Qadisiyah Province’s Governor Salim Hussein Alwan Najam praised the U.S. Government’s efforts to help the people of his province and expressed his thankfulness for the new facility. Diwaniyah PRT Leader Michael Klecheski added that the USACE has built nine health facilities worth $9.6 million and 15 schools worth $1.9 million for the Qadisiyah Province, and described the al-Noor PHC as a symbol of the cooperation between the U.S. and Iraqi governments to help the people of the province.
“Iraqi construction firm, Al-Kahlaa Group Company, employed over 40 local Iraqis daily to complete the facility,” Elliott added.
Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were Qadisiyah Governor Salim Hussein Alwan Najam; Diwaniyah PRT Leader Michael Klecheski; PRT Public Health Advisor Samuel Watson; Task Force 1-15, 3-3 IBCT - Task Force Cmdr, Lt. Col. Ken Harvey; USACE – Forat Area Office - Officer in Charge, Lt. Col. Nathan Joseph; and USACE Qadisiyah/Najaf Resident Office - Officer in Charge, Capt. Robert Elliott.
The USACE in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. Government and the Government of Iraq. Since 2004, USACE has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $9.1 billion, and has more than 350 projects ongoing. The overall reconstruction effort in Iraq currently provides jobs for more than 20,000 Iraqis.
January 15, 2010: Written by Alicia Embrey, Gulf Region South District
Distributed by www.SupportOurTroops.org
