Page 19 - QARANC Vol 14 No 10 2015

THE GAZETTE QARANC 17
government healthcare initiatives running concurrently with our clinics. Due to popular demand we provided an extra morning clinic in this location.
This experience has been incredibly humbling, an emotional rollercoaster! The ease of access to healthcare in the UK makes us take healthcare for granted. The stark reality in Kenya is that if you can’t afford it, you can’t have it. It’s heart breaking to see people suffering for years with something that could so easily be treated and knowing that these treatments would improve their quality of life immensely. I feel proud and privileged to have been so warmly welcomed into Kenyan communities and been able to help, however little.
SSgt F Gordon QARANC
The Primary Healthcare Cpl Nurse
My name is Cpl Dark and I am a nurse with in FS Sqn MRS 1, 5 Med Regt. My role is a primary health care nurse working along side the senior nurse Dr and medics with in the MTF. On Ex AS I was part of the primary health care team and also was involved in mentoring the junior medics.
Our time in Kenya was very different and certainly tested our ability to adapt to more challenging clinical conditions including setting up and drawing down the MTF daily adapting to provide hand washing facilities and having limited medical supplies. The patients were diverse in age and had a variety of health concerns. I found it very interesting working along side our Kenyan nursing colleagues and learning from each other’s practice. This was an amazing experience that has developed me from a primary health care and tropical medicine point of view.
Cpl R Dark QARANC
The Healthcare Assistant – Troop
Sergeant
I am Sgt Emma Coldrick, Troop Sergeant within FS Squadron for 5 Medical Regiment. My trade is Health Care Assistant and my experience as an HCA has been clinical and more recently within the clinical training team at 3 Medical Regiment. My role on Exercise Askari Serpent was Troop Sergeant for MRS 2 Troop. Before deploying on exercise a huge amount of preparation was put in place in order to ensure all training needs had been met, kit and equipment was ready to move and that as a Troop we fulfilled all the pre exercise criteria expected before ASKARI SERPENT.
As a troop we were responsible on Ex ASKARI SERPENT for providing outreach clinics (PHC) to all different areas of Kenya over a period of approx 15 days, we also provided malaria and HIV testing, mosquito nets, condoms and water treatment. My role and responsibilities as a Tp Sgt was quite different to what I had experienced on Exercise previously and I had to ensure that throughout the exercise we had resupply of medical equipment, rations and water for us to be able to continue. I acted as liaison between the British medical team, Kenyan Red Cross, Kenyan Medical Service Defence Force personnel, Askari Guard Force and on a day to day basis – our patients. Throughout our exercise we grew to understand others ‘ways of life’ and how different groups of people can come together to work for the greater good of the Kenyan local population we looked after. On occasion I had to troubleshoot, not only where we had to work with limited resources but friction between different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. All personnel within our troop worked exceptionally well and all their hard work and dedication shone through day to day.
The highlights of the exercise for me were being able to support the local community, learning their culture and way of life. Despite being challenged on this exercise it had many high points and Ex ASKARI SERPENT has been one of the best experiences of my career so far.
Sgt E Coldrick QARANC
The Healthcare Assistant – Clinical
I was lucky to have had the opportunity to deploy with the Sqn to Kenya; I was the only HCA to be deployed in a clinical role.
Before deploying I was given the task of organising the Sqn freight and the freight from the supporting troops. This involved me getting a small team together to sort out exactly what kit/equipment was going to Kenya with us, we had to know exactly what was in each box, the weight and ensure the boxes were labelled correctly and the movers had a copy of our lists.
Shortly after arriving in Kenya I was assisting the PTI by taking troops on steady state runs to help maintain Sqn fitness and help troops get used the altitude.
Before we deployed as a Sqn to our locations, we spent a few days sorting out our exercise kit, making sure everything was in working order, we had the correct kit and all the correct medication, to ensure we had everything needed for the duration of the exercise. I was chosen to step up and take on the role of the troop Cpl, I worked closely with the troop Sgt, my job was to ensure tasks were completed if the Sgt was otherwise engaged, ensure troops completed their training i.e. weapon handling test and also that the troops knew where they had to be and when.
On the ground and during the exercise phase we had many roles; working on reception booking in patients who were waiting to see a medic or a dentist, working alongside the Class 1 medics in the assessment rooms and the treatment rooms delivering PHC to the local population and working in pharmacy alongside our Kenyan pharmacist.
Outside of the clinical environment we had study sessions, usually on something interesting we had come across when treating, then we would have time to go through portfolios/ NVQ work. Later on we would complete Sqn sport volleyball/ circuits anything we could improvise with. I also took the role of troop chef on working with others in the team using fresh ingredients for the troops in addition to our rations. This made the nights more sociable with all the REME, Medics, Comms and our Kenyan colleagues all relaxing together.
I feel that this had been a great experience both medically and military and that this is a chance not many HCAs come across.
LCpl K Todd QARANC