Teule Hospital

So I have been here at the hospital for just over a week now and since moving into the best room in the hostel (the one with 2 windows instead of 1 - it's VERY hot here!) and having bought some teabags I feel like I am now settling in well.

The hospital supplies medical services to a population of 280 000 people.  There are 5 doctors, 6 assistant medical officers and 12 clinical officers (who have only 2 yrs training which has its pros and cons as you can imagine.)  There is an HIV/palliative care centre and a small lab.

As a start to the day, there are either swahili prayers at 7.30am or 'the morning meeting' at 7.45am.  I have only managed along once to the evening prayers so far but I really should make an effort to go in the morning even if I can't understand...it is surely a more uplifting experience than the morning meeting - a run through of the deaths and serious injuries over the previous 24 hours!

After this we hit the wards.  I have already got to see and examine a lot of patients and often the signs are so much more obvious than in the UK since they typically present much later, which I suppose makes it easier for me to guess the diagnosis but also sad to see.  I have felt some massive fibroids, spleens and livers, heard weird and wonderful chest and heart sounds and seen some equally weird and wonderful management plans...

Translation can be amusing.  Today for instance, a UK doctor was telling the nurse who then told the relative who then told the patient what the doctor wanted to know and so the patient answered by telling the relative who told the nurse...who swallowed a fly I don't know why she swallowed a fly...  I have gotten pretty good at my numbers in swahili from going to the market every day but know very little else, so I try always to think of a way of communicating my message across using numbers!  I think it worked once.

Paul is safely back in Nairobi and flies home to Scotland tomorrow.  I am now in the medical student hostel with 4 others - Dr Panina, Ruth and Nicky from London and George who also goes to Aberdeen Uni.

That's it for now. Love Emma

Javan Mutua

Last week on the way to the Tanzanian border we spent just over a day in Lunga Lunga catching up with my friend, Javan.  I have known Javan for nearing 6 years now, having first met at a missions centre near Garissa, Kenya.  About a year ago he moved to just outside Lunga Lunga (ie very rural, quite a shock for him coming from Nairobi!) with the aim of helping and supporting people there, especially the youth.  When we visited I got the chance to see how remarkably well he has done already - he (with some friends) has built from scratch a main building where he stays, plus an outdoor shelter and another building for holding youth gatherings.  His vision is to empower young people principally through a discipleship and retreat centre.  One of the next projects he is hoping to undertake is building a community library.  So if you pray, please also say a prayer for Javan and his ministry in Lunga Lunga. 

It was lovely to see Javan again, meet his church friends/family and his motorbike buddies who were great at giving us lifts between houses!