Hello Everyone-
This is a post from my personal blog, I thought I would just copy and paste to our group blog. The last week on M, W, and F we have been traveling about an hour to Macha Mission Hospital, where they also have the malaria institute. So far, we have had amazing experiences here, i'm sure some of you have heard from your kids/friends. We will be at the same place this next week, then the week after that we will be living at guest house on the hospitals campus. That will be Prof Jerilynn Spring's first week here. Here is what I wrote.
This week we had clinical in a hospital called Macha Mission Hospital. It is a very big hospital from what he have seen so far. There is a male and female ward, about 53 beds in each, and I would say most were filled. There is also a pediatric unit, which also has separate rooms for the malnourished and burn victims. There is a maternity ward and a labor suite, an outpatient clinic, a malaria institute and a ART clinic (for HIV/AIDS patients, antiretroviral therapy).
On our first day there (we go M, W, F) the three students in maternity each delivered a baby on their own! They did everything, no doctor in sight, just a nurse who was standing behind. They did the preexams, caught the baby, clamped and cut the umbilical cord, and even sutured the mother if needed. They were definitely on cloud nine the rest of the week. I was with students in the male ward part of the time, because when I walked in to see how they were doing, they were passing all the meds on their own, so I stayed to help. They did a great job. A few IV starts, and one attempt. When I was standing by helping one girl start an IV on an 8year old boy, she suddenly blacked out and fell to my feet...so I had to step over her and finish the IV....definitely a new experience for me! She was okay and it was pretty funny.
The hardest part was the pediatric ward for me. Yesterday myself and 3 students gave IM (intramuscular) injections to premature babies. One baby was dying of tetanus and not once did we see someone attending to him...they just don't have the resources. His back was very stiff and arched, he moved all around, in pain and not peaceful. He looked very hard to pick up, he was only 3lbs (12 days old) and was arched. I wrapped him up as tight as I could in blanket so he couldnt arch too much, and we held him. He finally relaxed and could sleep....it was heartbreaking. He probably wont be there Monday when we return, we prayed for Him and left at the end of the day.
Another terrible situation was the malnutrition ward. It only had 2 babies at the time, one with HIV. She was about 1 1/2 years, Annah was her name. She had open sores all over her body, in her mouth and down her throat and her abdomen was very distended. No smiling, no laughing, no playing, just laid on the only part of her body without sores and stared off into space, like a depressed adult.
If that were not enough, we helped deride the wounds of a 2 year old little boy who has been burned by boiling water. Third degree burns were covering at least 50% of his body. Now in the states I believe for something this bad he would be under general anesthesia and severe pain meds. Here, he might get Tylenol every other day if they have time. Blankets cant touch his skin, so he lays with a metal cage over top him body with blankets lying on top, so he is in constant dark cave. During treatments they just strip his skin off...with nothing to ease the horrific pain, this 2 year old has no voice left, he has cried everything he had in him, now its just silent screams that come out....its the first time since I have been here tears came to my eyes. Last night lying in bed, I definitely had alot to think about. I do not blame the nurses, they have maybe 50 patients each to take care of, they are doing the best they can with their circumstances. I pray that our little Tetanus baby (haven't named him yet) will soon be with God, because I don't see anything else working for him.
This isn't the easiest post to read, or to see. I believe these are not just things we can ignore though, that's why i'm sharing them with you.
Bethany
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