Bimphi, village clinic by Gusu

Saturday we left for Bimphi, a village close to Gusu for a village clinic. The group, E-3, had been going to Gusu, but they had found many people traveling from a nearby village, Bimphi, for the clinics. Nearby being ~11 km, by foot or bike. Sam and his team decided to move the location to this village for easier access for the villagers.  The rains are beginning to come, and the soil in this area appears to be quite dark and rich. They grow tobacco here as a cash crop and the fields had early growth. The maize was barely peeking up through the soil. Jolyn told us (she went with us in my car) that this area of Malawi grows many of the crops for Malawians.

The road became a dust / mud road for the last few miles / km. The clinic was set up in the school complex. Sam had his car, a minibus, and my car - a total of 16 people, with some others coming from Gusu. There were two clinical officers, in addition to Jessica and I, Laci helped in the pharmacy. We ended up seeing almost 450 people. We left the village area a little after 5 PM, which meant I was driving in the dark on the way home. I hate driving in the dark here - the roads are bad, there are people on the side of the road - walking and on bikes, the on-coming traffic tends to either have the bright lights on or their headlights are not aimed correctly, so you are blinded! Cars / minibuses just stop on the side of the road - not even pulled off all the way, and you have to go into the oncoming lane to get around them, and some drivers don't have their headlights on. It is very stressful!! However, we made it.  We dropped Jolyn at her home, so we got to meet her sweet family - husband and children. She lives in area 25, one of the booming areas of Lilongwe, but more like a huge village than a suburb of the capital!

In the village of Bimphi, we found the usual problems, but with more malnutrtion that I had seen elsewhere. They have access to a health center but the health center does not always have tests (malaria) or medications. One Mom told me that the nutrition clinic could weigh their child but they had no food to give out. In theory, the nutrition clinics identify the underweight / at risk children and provide a mix of ufa and ground nuts (peanuts) for additional protein. I also counseled several women that they needed HIV testing, as they looked quite wasted. They did not know where to go for the testing, but I think the local health center might have provided that. We saw a couple of neurological cases that were concerning (in children) and referred them to be seen at KCH. However, due to transport issues, they will probably never get there; and if they do, I suspect nothing can be done to diagnose or treat their children. It is very sad.

One thing the pictures don't capture is the flies. They were everywhere - they flew straight into your eyes, they aimed at your mouth and your nose. There was no air movement in our room, so the flies were overwhelming. I watched them covering the faces / mouths / eyes of little babies. No wonder so many diseases here are present - the flies are carriers of illness and disease, especially to the eyes (trachoma) and the skin - open infected wounds, impetigo, etc. I have tried the insect repellant -works pretty good for the mosquitoes but the flies are not dissuaded!

On a sadder note, 3 young people involved in Young Life Malawi were killed in a tragic road traffic accident this past week. Please pray for comfort and peace for the families and loved ones involved.



Praise / thanksgiving / prayers
Praise that we traveled safely!!
Thanksgiving for the people who donated - this clinic had plenty of medications and supplies! Thank you to all the people who reached into their pockets and their hearts to make this happen!
Prayers for continued safety.
Prayers for all our patients yesterday, that they will recover to health.
Prayers for the young people of Young Life Malawi who are mourning 3 of their friends, and pray for comfort for the families of those who died.

Clifford, Jolyn, Charles, Jessica and me - getting ready to leave

 Discussing some logistics with Sam Kawale before leaving

 People waiting to be triaged in.

Clifford and Charles taking lunch - it was about 3 PM before we broke for lunch

These 3 little girls were all my patients - they live with their agogo (grandmother) who was in a different line to be seen! You can see Jessica's station across the room (patient with green shirt on) and the malaria testing area on the far left. We were in a classroom.

After the clinic, we are taking a break as things get packed up!

Clinic building - one of the school blocks. We were on the far left, the pharmacy was in the adjacent classroom

 Jessica doing a malaria test on the little one sitting down.

Checking out Mom and child - this little one weighed 10 kg and was 3 years old. Malnutrition is a major issue in this village area.

Jessica and Jolyn (not really visible) with a Mom and child - the child was more interested in me than in Jessica!

We made it over this bridge before sundown -one of my concerns. If you can see, there is water below but no rails on the bridge. Joseph Maenner - this drive home made me miss your presence and driving skills so much!