Thursday in the ED

Thursday Jose went again to Daeyang Luke Hospital. He was planning on working on their ambulance set up, but the ambulance wasn't there. In Malawi, the ambulances are used to transport patients, and to transport staff to and from work, sometimes to go to the market, etc. etc. Most people do not have a private car, many do not even have a bicycle. Transport of any kind is highly valued.

So, the ambulance if often (in fact, I would say usually) missing in action. So, Jose pitched in and helped in the ED. The set up in Malawi hospitals is different than in the US. The patients line up for the Out Patient Department (OPD). If they are too sick to wait in the line, they go to the ED. After they are seen in OPD by a medical assistant or clinical officer, they may be sent to the ED for additional treatment and subsequent discharge or they may be admitted - and that process starts in the ED. The concept of walking into an ED is a foreign one here. If the ambulance is running and brings in a trauma - usually a RTA (road traffic accident) they will go straight to the ED. With that said, at Daeyang Luke they also use the ED for wound care - so Jose learned a lot about African wounds and wound care. I am glad he has a strong stomach! After the morning wound care patients were done, they began to see patients from OPD - a lady with bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain- they were running labs (not back before he left). He also had another sick young - 1 year old- child, (dehydration); he also got to give IM injections and start IVs. He had a productive day. Plus he is establishing great relationships with the other health care team members. I, on the other hand, had a very quiet day in the clinic. The picture is of the front of the ABC community clinic. It is a very nice facility! We had power there most of the morning, enough that I was able to get the x-rays I wanted before the power failed. We got home from our 'work' in time to find the power back on at the house, but then we had no water until late afternoon. However, we can't complain because we had power and water when it was time to cook dinner, and plenty of water for showers. And the Internet!! We also got the great news that Leslie and Mebble arrived safely in the US! Another beautiful day in Malawi!