U.S. Navy Cmdr. Joseph Tuite, GRD's Director of Operations, Maintenance, and Sustainment Branch explained, "The key mission of this vehicle is to go out to the remote primary health care centers and conduct operations and maintenance training for the maintenance staff at the health clinics. So now, the maintainers at the clinics will learn how to maintain the equipment themselves and not be dependent on the U.S. government."

Once the mission has been completed, the truck will be returned to the Iraqi Ministry of Health.

This is a key capacity development effort by the government. The U.S. Government constructed numerous health clinics throughout the country. Now it is continuing that process by providing additional training for the Iraqis so they can maintain their own equipment to improve health care in the country after the U.S. Government leaves.
"The medical facilities in Iraq have had a high turnover of trained technicians who can care for their equipment," said Steve Rivera, Deputy director of GRD's reconstruction division. "We hope this mobile teaching lab will attract new personnel to fill long-standing vacancies."

The mobile medical equipment training lab can also do double-duty, providing first responder medical care at Iraq's religious pilgrimages. A total of four similar trucks were shipped to Iraq from the U.S. in 2005, but they were damaged during transportation. The dental chair, repair work, and other improvements were added to the truck for less than $30,000.

Learn more about GRD's efforts in Iraq in this video:

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