Establishing Underground Medical Clinics in Rural Afghanistan: The International Medical Corps Experience
Authors: ROBERT R. SIMON
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Abroad1 March 1988Establishing Underground Medical Clinics in Rural Afghanistan: The International Medical Corps ExperienceROBERT R. SIMON, M.D., MARK H. HYMAN, M.D.ROBERT R. SIMON, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, MARK H. HYMAN, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-108-3-477 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn 1973, and again in 1978, presidents were installed in coups backed by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, a pro-Soviet regime (1). Due to government-sponsored repression, revolts broke out, and Hafezullah Amin, a moderate, assumed power. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Mr. Amin was killed, and Babrak Karmal was installed as president.At the time of the Soviet invasion, the population of Afghanistan was 16 million (2). Since the invasion, 1 million persons have been killed, and 5 million are now living in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan (3). This refugee population is the...References1. . Hidden War: The Struggle for Afghanistan. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office; April 1984. Google Scholar2. DUPREE L. Afghanistan. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press; 1980. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. Helsinki Watch and Asia Watch Report: Tears, Blood and Cries: Human Rights in Afghanistan Since the Invasion, 1979 to 1984. New York: Helsinki Watch Committee; December 1984. Google Scholar4. OSMAN A. Report of the Union of Afghan Mujahid Doctors on Health Conditions Inside Afghanistan. Peshawar, Pakistan: Union of Afghan Mujahid Doctors; 1983. Google Scholar5. REEVES R. A reporter at large: journey to Pakistan. The New Yorker. 1984;60:33. Google Scholar6. United Nations Human Rights Commission: Situation of Human Rights in Afghanistan. Annex 23, Geneva: United Nations; May 1986. Document A/41/778. Google Scholar7. Helsinki Watch and Asia Watch Report: To Die in Afghanistan. New York: Helsinki Watch Committee; December 1985. Google Scholar8. BRADSHER H. Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Durham: Duke Univ. Press; 1985:38. Google Scholar9. HURT L. The surgical management of colon and rectal injuries in the forward areas. Ann Surg. 1945;122:398-407. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. KIMBROUGH J. The surgical management of genitourinary wounds in the combat zone. Milit Surg. 1954; 115:165-75. CrossrefGoogle Scholar11. ASCOFT P. Surgery in desert warfare. Milit Surg. 1944;95:337-9. CrossrefGoogle Scholar12. BRYANT T. Tented hospital adaptions. Bull US Army Med Dept. 1941:89:66-70. Google Scholar13. DAVIDSON A. Some aspects of present day war surgery. Can Med Assoc J. 1953;69:1-13. MedlineGoogle Scholar14. VAN BUSKIRK K. The mobile army surgical hospital. Milit Surg. 1953;113:27-31. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. BYERLY W. War surgery in a forward surgical hospital in Vietnam: a continuing report. Milit Med. 1971;136:221-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. NEEL S. Army aeromedical evacuation procedures in Vietnam. JAMA. 1968;204:99-103; 309-13. CrossrefGoogle Scholar17. CONNELLYCORBEIL WM. Canada brings new hospital life to Vietnam. Med Serv J Can. 1967;23:11-26. MedlineGoogle Scholar18. PFEFFERMANNROZINDURSTMARIN RRAG. Modern war surgery: operations in an evacuation hospital during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. J Trauma. 1976;16:694-703. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. GASKO O. Surgery in the field during the Lebanon War, 1982: doctrine, experience and prospects for future changes. Isr J Med Sci. 1984;20:350-4. MedlineGoogle Scholar20. DOLEV E. Medical services in the Lebanon War, 1982: an overview. Isr J Med Sci. 1984;20:297-9. MedlineGoogle Scholar21. HIRST J. An account of the medical services of the national liberation army of Yugoslavia and of the R. A.M.C. assistance given to it. Royal Army Med Corps. 1945;3:105-14. Google Scholar22. WADEERSKINE DJ. The medical support of guerrilla forces. Milit Med. 1969;134:211-14. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar23. SHAPIRO M. Medical aid to the Spanish Republic during the Civil War (1936-1939). Ann Intern Med. 1982;97:119-24. LinkGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byUS emergency and disaster response in the past, present, and future: The multi-faceted role of emergency health careCorrection: Disputed Pakistan-India Territory Afrasiab 1 March 1988Volume 108, Issue 3Page: 477-480KeywordsCyclic adenosine monophosphateEmergency medicine Issue Published: 1 March 1988 PDF downloadLoading ...