Clinic Day 1 - July 13

This morning I woke up bright and early and had a freezing cold shower. I did the hokey pokey – “Put your right arm in. Put right arm out. Put your right arm in and shake it all about…” I did that until it came time to wash my hair and I was forced to “put my whole body, put my whole out, put my whole body in and shake it all about.” I then walked down the road to the chimp house, a house where the chimp researchers are based, where I had breakfast.

Today was my first day (or part of a day) in the clinic. I met up with Lulu and Cristina, the McGill students, this morning after breakfast. Despite not being health majors, they both seem fully prepared to create a successful health outreach program. I was happy to be working with them. Upon arriving at the clinic, I met both nurses: Denis, the male, and Lucy, the female. I was also given a tour of the clinic, which did not take long at all, as the clinic only consists of three small rooms. One is for consultation. The second contains two beds. The third has a desk in the middle, a closet filled with medication, and a little room with a window where the medicine is distributed from. The clinic is a level two clinic, which from what I understand means that it does not do lab work, and therefore cannot make proper diagnoses, and does not deliver babies, although both nurses are trained to do so. Diagnoses are based on symptoms and are more of a guess and treat. For example, patients suffering from a fever and the sweats are typically diagnosed with malaria and given anti-malarials. Recently, as there has been a breakout of typhoid, patients have been misdiagnosed and treated for malaria, rather than for typhoid.

All five of us sat around discussing the outreach program, logistical details, as well as the material to be taught. I mostly listened, and gave input when it felt appropriate. Tomorrow, I am going to return with the girls, but Denis is letting me shadow him. Not many patients come by, maybe ten per day, but I will be able to observe Denis as he treats those villagers that come for services. Today, while I was there, a man came with a swollen foot. Cristina and Lulu said that he has been coming for a month to get shots and treatment for what is believed to be a spider bite. Two mothers also came by with their babies, although I am not sure who was the patient, mother or child.

Still jet lagged and exhausted from lack of sleep, I came back to my room in the afternoon, where I napped and did some reading in preparation for tomorrow. I also enjoyed a nice cup of Ugandan tea.

It looks as though I might be spending the next week or so in the clinic, either shadowing one of the nurses or discussing the health outreach program with Lulu and Cristina. I may also tag along with them when they go into the villages to give presentations. They have been doing presentations on subjects such as water contamination and family planning.

I will be meeting with Elizabeth Ross and some of the headmasters/headmistresses of the schools at some point to work out when I can go and do my handwashing and basic first aid education. I also need to distribute the first aid kits. As I will probably only be in each school for a day or two, I will be spending most of my time in the clinic or with the girls developing the outreach program. I also have some projects I am working on, which when completed will be handed out at each school, either to be used or as an example for something they could create on their own. What I am making are mesh bags that hang from the ceiling, with soap in them. This prevents the soap from being placed directly on the contaminated ground of the latrine or on the soil and from students accidently walking off with them.

On a different note, it was quite hot here today, especially this afternoon, although there was a nice breeze from time to time. This evening a thunderstorm blew through. There was some thunder and lighting and a slight bit of rain, but it didn’t last that long at all.

Sorry for such a long post. I will do my best to keep them short from now on. Goodnight.