by 7th Civil Support Command Public Affairs Office
ZANZIBAR, Tanzania — Members of the Army Reserve's 772nd Civil Support Team, 7th Civil Support Command, concluded their two-week mission of providing command and control, liaison capability and event support for a 16-member medical team during a Medical Readiness and Training Exercise known as MEDRETE 12, here Jan. 30 to Feb. 12.
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| Spc. Nicole Hodge, a medic with the 772nd Civil Support Team, 7th Civil Support Command, provides optometry care to a local Zanzibar citizen during a Medical Readiness and Training Exercise in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Jan. 30 – Feb. 12, Tanzanian and U.S. Army medical providers worked together to not only improve working relationships, but also provide medical services to citizens in need of treatment. Local citizens traveled to the Zanzibar Military Hospital in Bububu to obtain free cataracts surgery. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Roy Reynolds). |
On the tiny island of Zanzibar, situated off the coast of Tanzania, U.S. and host nation medical teams collaborated to conduct ophthalmology care and sutureless cataract surgery at the Bububu Military Hospital in order to foster greater interoperability and civil humanitarian assistance. To execute this mission, U.S. Army Africa partnered with the U.S. State Department Country Team, the Tanzanian Peoples Defense Forces and the Tanzanian Ministry of Health.
“The Americans are here to help us. This event is for the people of Zanzibar. When the Americans leave we have to continue to provide care for our people,” said Brig. Gen. Adam Mbulanga, TPDF Surgeon General.
The U.S. team of medical professionals deployed to the tiny African island to get valuable real-world training while providing medical services to citizens in need of treatment. MEDRETE 12 provided U.S. forces an opportunity to partner and build relationships and capabilities with host nation medical providers in unique and challenging environments. During the first week alone, the medical team screened nearly 3,300 patients, fitted more than 1,900 patients with adaptive eyewear and conducted 245 cataract surgeries.
While the medical team provided the people of Zanzibar with needed ophthalmology care and treatment, members of the 772nd CST provided the necessary command and control for the MEDRETE mission.
“We served as the mission advanced party, received and pre-positioned the medical equipment, set up lodging, and handled the all the administrative, logistical and operational aspects so the medical team can completely focus on helping the people of Zanzibar,” said Capt. Kevin M. Czarkowski, the 772nd CST team chief.
The other members of the 772nd team were: 1st. Lt. Roy Reynolds, 1st. Sgt. Christopher M. Constantino, and Spc. Nicole Hodge.
“The reception from the people of Tanzania has been extremely positive. As time went on and the word starting getting around to the villages, more and more people were showing up at the hospital,” said Czarkowski.
One 772nd CST member that gained more from the mission than she expected was Hodge. As an Army Medic and a civilian Emergency Medical Technician, Hodge deployed as part of the command group, but spent her time assisting in the operating room. With no previous ophthalmology experience, much less ophthalmological surgery, Hodge joined the medical team and gained valuable experience while assisting in the operating room performing before and after operation screening and care.
“The people we helped were very friendly and grateful for the services we provided. Most Zanzibarians are farmers and rely on bartering to get the things they need. If they can’t see, they can’t earn their livelihood or provide for themselves,” explained Hodge. “It is nice to see the Army doing a humanitarian mission that helps people.”
Hodge currently teaches EMT course for Central Texas College in Vicenza, Italy, and has aspirations to enter the Army Physician Assistants program and specialize in emergency medicine.
While only a 20-person team may seem small for such an important mission, it is part of an overall strategy, explains Czarkowski. “The strategy is to have a small, unobtrusive footprint and work with the host nation Ministry of Health doctors to not only provide the much needed care, but also build their capacity to provide ophthalmology care to the people of Tanzania,” said Czarkowski.
