Field hospital ready for deployment in southern Iraq

Parliament meets next week to discuss the deployment of the Czech Army's 7th field hospital in southern Iraq, to help relieve the growing humanitarian crisis there. The hospital unit, which is protected by armed troops, says it's ready to leave for Iraq immediately, but any deployment of Czech soldiers abroad must be approved by parliament. Rob Cameron recently visited the headquarters of the 7th army field hospital, and brings back this report.

Field hospital ready for deployment in southern Iraq

Field hospital, photo: CTK

Sending a field hospital to treat Iraqi civilians might not seem controversial, but here in the Czech Republic - which says it is "on the side of" but not "part of" George Bush's "coalition of the willing" - the issue is a sensitive one. The country's political leaders have been at pains to stress the field hospital will be part of the wider "Enduring Freedom" operation in the Middle East, not the war in Iraq. But that fine distinction - debatable as it is - is of little interest to the soldiers and medical staff themselves. Brigadier General Leo Klein is the Surgeon General of the Czech Armed Forces.

"At the moment you see just a few parts of the whole hospital. The entire hospital has to be carried in 18 flights by a very big, heavy aircraft."

Eighteen?

Field hospital, photo: CTK

"Eighteen, yes."

There has obviously been some controversy about the Czech Republic's role in the U.S.-led attack on Iraq and the conflict in the region. There seems to be a split between those who feel the Czechs should join as a partner, and those who don't. Where do you stand on that?

"I cannot comment on that. That's absolutely the political decision of our government, of our parliament, and we as soldiers and medics - the military - have to follow political decisions. If the politicians decide to send this hospital for that humanitarian mission, we are ready to do that."

Among the politicians who must make that decision is Senate chairman Petr Pithart, who was visiting the field hospital headquarters outside Prague. I asked him for his thoughts as the unit prepared to leave for the Gulf.

"I suppose their role will be similar but not the same as in Afghanistan. The southern part of Iraq is an area of continuing skirmishes and battles. So I suppose there will be more wounded people, and we cannot exclude some danger from outside...We will send nearly 700 soldiers to the area, and this is proof of our strong determination to be involved on the side of the victims."

And that strong determination has been lacking over the last few weeks, as politicians squabble over whether the country is or is not part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Deploying the army field hospital in Iraq will go some way towards smoothing over those divisions, as well as improving relations with the U.S., clearly frustrated at the lack of support from Czech leaders over the war in Iraq.