Page 40 - QARANC Vol 20 No 2 2022

40 The Gazette QARANC Association
Scaling personal and actual heights in Kenya!
4 Medical Regiment deployed to Kenya in June for six weeks on Exercise ASKARI SERPENT, which involved planning and execution, community engagement and adventure training.
The exercise phase tested our clinical skills, judgement and teamwork through being faced with mass casualty scenarios and complicated single PHC cases alike. My own troop set up the Medical Reception Station (MRS), treating 24 hours a day, exposing the medics to challenging shifts around the clock, and allowing for a great deal of learning within the cohort. The temperature regularly exceeded 35 degrees centigrade, which added another challenge into the mix.
We were very grateful for the ice- cold bottled drinks and after various teething problems, the exercise phase proved highly successful, with everyone gaining some medical exercise experience and bonding well within the MRS team.
The community engagement phase involved treating real ailments and
injuries presented to us by the Kenyan public. We travelled to four isolated locations, putting up and collapsing the tents every day. We also travelled with a dental team (as we had in the MRS), which gave us an extra avenue for treatment.
Unfortunately, most of the problems we were faced with were chronic, or required imaging or even surgical action, and as a primary healthcare (PHC) facility we could only provide advice to these individuals. However, it was evident that even a consultation alongside advice was a therapy enough to many. We would write down the consultation and allow them to take the