Page 101 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2017

Leg amputation operation on a Trained traditional birth attendant providing antenatal care.
landmine victim by Back Pack medics.

Photograph: BPHWT Photograph: BPHWT

As the BPHWT’s first program, the Medical Care Program Back Pack health workers constructing a village latrine.
aims to reduce mortality and morbidity rates by diagnosing
and treating six key diseases—malaria, acute respiratory in-
fection, diarrhea, dysentery, worm infestation, and anemia—
and also war trauma—landmine and gunshot injuries—in its
target areas. The MCP health workers travel to their target
areas, visit the homes of sick villagers, diagnose them, and
provide them with treatment. The BPHWT sends essential
medicine to its target areas from Thailand every 6 months.
In certain remote and conflict areas, Back Pack teams are
provided with funding to purchase essential medicine and
supplies locally or cross-border, such as Thailand, India, or
China.

Responding to a demonstrated need, the BPHWT established
the Maternal and Child Healthcare Program to provide safe Photograph: BPHWT
and antiseptic births for both mothers and infants. The pro-
gram aims to improve maternal and child health by training
and using an extensive network of community-selected and
embedded TTBAs. Because they are far from a clinic, poor, There are four activities existing within the CHEPP: Water
and otherwise unable to travel to a clinic, most deliveries in and Sanitation Sub-Program, Nutrition Sub-Program, School
the BPHWT’s field areas are home deliveries. Health Sub-Program, and Village Health Workshops.

The BPHWT trains TTBAs in antenatal and postnatal care, The Water and Sanitation Sub-Program monitors and im-
normal delivery, and recognition of danger signs during preg- proves the water and sanitation systems in communities to re-
nancy and childbirth. This network ensures that maternal duce the prevalence of water-borne diseases. The Sub-Program
health care is readily available even to remote populations. provides water pipes and latrine bowls and trains field work-
Moreover, the MCHP provides maternity kits for new moth- ers and embedded VHWs in the installation and maintenance
ers and delivery kits for the TTBAs, and, depending on the of latrines and water systems in villages.
area’s situation, it prepares delivery records of the newborn
children to prevent ethnic children from becoming stateless Under the Nutrition Sub-Program and in conjunction with
persons. the MCHP, the BPHWT distributes vitamin A and deworming
medication to children from the age of 1 to 12 years to prevent
The MCHP also distributes deworming medication, folic acid, malnutrition.
and iron supplements to women during pregnancy and vita-
min A to pregnant and postpartum women. Moreover, the The School Health Sub-Program teaches school students and
MCHP provides three contraceptive methods for women: teachers about nutrition, water and sanitation, and personal
condoms, oral pills, and, depending on the situation, Depo- hygiene practices. In some situations, a school’s water and san-
Provera injections. itation systems are also improved. Moreover, personal hygiene
kits, nutritional supplements, and deworming medication are
As a public health complement to its curative programs, the given to a school’s students.
BPHWT designed the Community Health Education and
Prevention Program to empower and support local people, Through Village Health Workshops, community members are
through education and preventive health measures, to avoid given health education. Moreover, the workshops are used to
and mitigate diseases and injuries. engage local communities in discussion about health issues

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