We arrived Wednesday but our bags took a holiday for a few extra days. They arrived this afternoon (Sat). But all is well! It always takes a couple of days to get settled in. I got my medical certificate renewed, bought medications for today's clinic, saw the new Gateway mall (which is pretty awesome), did grocery shopping, organized medical supplies (the stuff I leave) and even had my car worked on. A busy couple of days. Today we went to the Maula prison for a clinic. Charles Msukwa is awesome with what he (and his coworkers) are getting done here. The recruited Doctors without borders to build a new block of exam rooms and a short stay room (sinks in all rooms!) attached to the clinic. The clinics there are short, since the prisoners have to be back in their cells early. Jones Tambula (medical assistant) has started new record keeping which is very helpful. The prisoners seem to be healthier every time I go. We started a little after 9 AM and ended about 2 PM. 5 hours and I saw 56 patients - Julie saw / treated some that I never saw. She and another nurse, Erica, had Smart to help them in the wound care area. Everything went very smoothly. It is always heart breaking to hear some of their stories. People here, when arrested, get put into prison. Then the legal system sorts things out later. Sometimes much later. One gentleman had been in prison several years and still no trial. A 15 year old girl was in prison because her husband committed (and confessed) to murder, but the police arrested them both. Of course, there are some bad guys there too! The nutritional status of many of the prisoners is still an issue. They get one meal a day of ground maize. There is a feeding program at the prison now, but the food has run out. One of the men never got his food, because his cell mates would steal it from him. He truly looked like he was going to die of starvation. I have posted some photos on Facebook, but here I will post some more of the graphic ones. Don't look if you are eating or have a weak stomach! Tomorrow we go to Salima to start working at the Pothawira clinic for a few days. I will be out of touch but will try to update when I get back.
The exam room I used.
Pellagra, a nutritional deficiency of niacin.
Bullet wound in leg
Very nasty dressing on a clogged suprapubic catheter, Fixed and redressed by Julie!
The treatment room with a sink, shower, and bed. The suitcase is full of medical supplies - donated by wonderful folks!
Redressed, bladder emptied and hopefully catheter fixed.
Chronic perianal fistula - I have seen this guy over the years and it looks like Smart's careful dressing change and cleaning every day may heal this up!
Plantar's warts
Excising plantars warts
The excised lesions (plantar's warts). Hopefully this guy will not get an infection. It is nice to know that Smart is there, working with Jones, to help with these wounds.
The team - Charles, Erica, Jones (guard in back with hat - not sure of his name), Julie and me. Front row is inmate who works with Charles, Smart (also an inmate), Jollyn and Selina. An awesome team!
Another shot of the team that includes Louis (far left, standing) that Charles took.
No comments:
Post a Comment