On the initiative of the deputy medical chief of the ISAF Regional Command North (RC-N) Medical Directorate, a first responder training course was recently organized for members of the Afghan Border Police (ABP). Several Hungarian compatriots of ours voluntarily espoused the idea coming from Col. (MD) Dr. László Fazekas.

For the most part, the Afghan border guards performing daily duties on the northern frontiers of Afghanistan are taught first responder and direct combat life saving skills. Our Hungarian colleagues have recently drawn on German, Afghan, Norwegian and US support in starting the two-day ad hoc course at the police training centre of Balkh.

Most recently, some female participants also took the course – in acquiring the skills, they were helped by a woman interpreter and a Hungarian nurse. Afghan female border guards are really unique because women only rarely volunteer for armed service in the Asian country. Although all of them were proud to wear the women’s camouflage clothes, at the end of the class they asked the photographers to blur out their faces in the photos because unfortunately they and their families would have reason to fear the possibility of being attacked if radical forces learned about their work.

The members of the American–Hungarian mentor team also supported the course, their emergency medical technician (EMT) officer participated in the training as an instructor. The other members of the team provided support in their fields of specialization.

“We had already received some requests to run courses like this earlier, but we were to do the lion’s share of the implementation. For this, we needed indispensable support from our German, American, Afghan, Norwegian and of course Hungarian colleagues. The Hungarian doctors and nurses volunteered to hold this course while performing their core duties as well” – Col. (MD) Dr. László Fazekas, the deputy chief of the ISAF Regional Command North Medical Directorate, the director of the course told us.

The men and women participating in the course all learnt the course material enthusiastically. Among other things, they mastered the proper use of the medical assets and other equipment available to ISAF and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

(1st Lt. Renáta Révész)