The Czech military field hospital in the Iraqi city of Basra
In this week's Spotlight we visit the Czech military field hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The commander of the hospital, doctors, nurses and other staff tell us about the conditions in which they work, what kind of work they do, how they get on with the locals (and each other) and what they have learned from the experience.
Until just over a week ago, Colonel Mojmir Mrva was the commander of the Czech 7th military field hospital located on the outskirts of the devastated city of Basra, in the south of Iraq.
Col. Mrva: "The medical equipment, the machines, the motors of cars, the air-conditioning and all the technology is not prepared for such high temperatures. So not only in our contingent but in all the other contingents they are solving the same problems as us. Just now the temperature is going down so we estimate that those problems will end very soon."
Nurse Alena Vesela describes how difficult it has been for Czech staff at the hospital working in such extreme temperatures.
"It's been over 50 degrees in the shade. The hospital is air-conditioned but sometimes the air-conditioning doesn't work, unfortunately. A few times we had to work when it was 45 degrees and we were sweating non-stop. But the worst heat is behind us - we try to look at it positively."
Dr Milos Bohonek: "Before I left for Iraq I had no exact information about the health condition of the children here. I was afraid of meeting many cases of tropical diseases. Fortunately these kinds of diseases we've only met very rarely."
Dr Petr Chmatal: "A lot of patients come with a large spectrum of different kinds of diseases to our outpatients department, but there is a high percentage of shooting injuries and burns, or the results of such injuries. Also there are many children with congenital defects."
"From June of this year when the hospital started work we have examined and treated more than 7,000 patients. In the hospital 124 patients were operated on. The x-ray department made more than 900 examinations and the laboratories did more than 9,000 tests."
But the medical staff in Basra are not the only Czech doctors and nurses who are treating Iraqis: some patients have actually been flown to the Czech Republic where they receive the kind of treatment not available to them in Iraq. Dr Bohonek again.
"The project of humanitarian evacuation, it's called Medivac, is managed by the Czech Ministry of the Interior. Our task is choosing patients with diseases which can't be treated in Iraq well or who have a good chance for effective treatment in the Czech Republic. Together we've sent till now 12 patients in two flights to the Czech Republic. And on October 6 the next four will go. As for what next, it depends on future resources for this project."
Not all of the Czechs working at the field hospital are trained medical personnel. This soldier's job is to make sure the medics receive what they need.
Capt. Tomsicek says that in general the Czech soldiers in Basra have quite good relations with Iraqis. Here, he and other members of staff give their impressions of the local people.
Capt. Tomsicek: "During my stay here I have to say that from my point of view the people here are friendly. The first time I was here it was the same as this time, but during the period of staying here I think at the end I faced some...obstacles but not too difficult. For instance throwing rocks, it was by children, but I think it was like a game for them. I think that it's a peaceful time here and I think it is fine staying here, yeah."
Dr Bohonek: "I think children are the same all over the world. Iraqi children have very big and nice dark eyes, they smile, they cry, they are afraid of needles and are happy when they get a gift."
Nurse Vesela: "The Iraqis aren't bad people but give them an inch and they take a mile. But they can't help being like that, because of the social and living conditions in which they live."
"I think we're all in the same situation; we use the same facilities to wash, we have the same living quarters. But maybe it's good that there are so few women here - it means we don't have to fight over the men (laughs)."
Do the Czech soldiers get homesick? Or, spending so much time together, do they simply get sick of the sight of each other?
"There definitely has been homesickness, but - speaking for myself, at least - we really haven't gotten sick of each other. Also, they let us go to Kuwait for a break. We go there for around 60 hours, we've been twice. We were like normal tourists and wore civilian clothing. Those 60 hours was enough time to relax a bit and forget where we were, it was pleasant."
As you might expect, staff at the Czech field hospital are rotated. As he began packing his bags and preparing to leave Iraq, Dr Petr Chmatal told Radio Prague his stay in Basra was something he would not forget.
"There were many things and situations which I'll hold in my mind for a long time. The main experience for me personally was in leading people, in leading a team of different specialists in very, very specific and very difficult conditions."
