Estonian civilian departs for Afghanistan

  • 2008-07-29
  • In cooperation with BNS
TALLINN- Civilian surgeon, Tiit Meren, will become the first civilian Estonian surgeon to depart for Afghatnistan.

A vascular specialist, he will be placed in a military hospital at Camp Bastion.

His work will include treating NATO soldiers as well as locals with battle and attack injuries.  

Accoding to Bonjour l'Estonie news source Meren was quoted as saying, "British military surgeons say that you have to go to war to become a real surgeon. The systematic and intensive nature of military me-dicine provides every surgeon with extra qualities, since in a war as many things happen in a day as in civilian life during a year."

Meren is set to work at a new field hospital in Camp Bastion that opened in Februart 2008. The new faciliteis offer an emergency area and two rooms for operating.

The facility has about 30 beds and about one hundred medics and staff.

Around 140 military personnel from Estonia are currently serving in Afghanistan, most concentrated in the southern Helmend province.