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| Hospital Waiting Rooms |
Hi and welcome to our latest blog, thanks for your continued
support and interest.
We are now well into the rainy season here in Chad which
brings many issues including a huge increase in the number of Malaria cases we
are seeing at the hospital. Just the other day I read a report on the BBC
Africa news website highlighting this very issue in Chad, with which we can
fully empathise here in Guinebour II. I have attached the link if you are
interested in reading the report which states there has been a 10 fold increase
in the number of cases seen here.
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| Glad to be getting treatment |
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| On the road to recovery |
We have seen a huge increase in the number of patients
arriving at the hospital since Ramadan, a large number being sick children with
malnutrition plus many Malaria victims. The majority of people who arrive here,
regardless of their problem, if they have a high temperature are tested for
Malaria. Of those that we have tested in the past month over 80% have tested
positive & when you understand we see over 100 patients a day you get a
feel for the size of the problem. Fortunately we have a Lab to undertake the
tests here on site but obtaining the test kits themselves does prove difficult
due to our financial constraints. Being able to purchase large quantities in
advance to ensure we don't run out does prove difficult so we need to make
weekly trips to town to try to obtain them & just recently more than 1 trip
a week. If the patient arrives early enough we are able to provide the
treatment needed & they can return home. We have been seeing cases recently
where children arrive unconscious & some unfortunately never recover. It can be very distressing for the staff to
witness so many deaths, particularly in children, but unfortunately due to
other pressing needs there is little time to mourn.
The problem can best be reduced by sleeping under a mosquito
protective net but unfortunately not everyone can afford to own one so will
sleep without any protection. Patients within the hospital are provided with a
net if they arrive without their own. We ourselves are fortunate that we can
take malaria preventative medication & of course sleep under a net at all
times. But are the mosquito's becoming more resistant to the treatments available?
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| Early evening arrival of the Bugs |
Bugs in general are a major irritation to us living here as
every day something will bite us somewhere. Any exposed flesh, particularly at
night, is a target, so walking through any grass is a hazard as is a haven for
a variety of bugs. A constant source of conversation is how many bites has each
of us received the evening before & feeling itchy with the urge to scratch
is an ever present feeling.
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| Under the Car |
Living within the hospital compound is proving challenging
as there is a constant feeling of being at work at all times. How do you switch
off when you look out of the window & see yet another vehicle arrive &
knowing that there is already a queue of people to see? We are trying to ensure
we get off site once a week, even if only for a trip to the post office or a
coffee in town, to try to get away for a short while. On occasions this is just
not possible & huge rain showers don't help as the roads become impassable.
During one night this month taking a patient home, the hospital 4x4 utility
vehicle got stuck for 3 days in a flooded area until 6 local guys helped dig it
out by hand. At one point I witnessed 2 guys completely submerged in dirty,
unhealthy water under the back of the car trying to remove sand from around the
wheels. We were extremely grateful to them & after a quick hose down &
a coke back at the hospital, plus a small payment, they left happy at being
able to have helped us. Fortunately we had taken our ambulance off the road
during the wet season as is not a 4x4 vehicle & is totally unsuitable for
the current conditions. If we had used it on this night it would have proven to
be an extremely expensive mistake.
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| Trying to lift it out |
At times it is extremely hard working here & the
conditions are far from ideal but the need is great so please continue to pray
for us & support our work as the hospital is providing a vital service
without which many more lives would be lost.
Thanks Malc & Sue