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Locals

The Jules Rimet Cleaning Cup











Saturday 3 July

We have been struggling with the internet for 2 days now – the heavy rain plays havoc with the satellite signal, it has been ages since things were up and running. A row of people waiting, so sorry can’t stay long.

Pauline and I are panicking, hoping we have enough prizes to give out for all the cleaners at least for our ward-cleaning competition; I brought a few bits of jewellery with me and a few scarves which they will love. Fob watches and scissors for the nurses who have really worked hard. The team that wins will have to have an IOU until Ian arrives with soccer shirts and caps.

Thank you all who contributed into Pauline’s 'emergency drawer'. Some was used yesterday. It was for a young girl who came to the hospital about 6 weeks ago - she was having a ‘fistula repair’ after female circumcision.

Try and read ‘The Hospital by the River’, can’t remember the author, then you will know what I am talking about. A surgeon came to operate on a group of young women and this one girl has taken a long time to heal; she is now OK but had to get home. Home is a long way away, and there was someone going that way by truck, so with some of your cash she was able to make that journey and be reunited with her family, after having been an outcast for so long. Thank you.

The fund was used again only this afternoon. A man with insulin-dependent diabetes, and known to Pauline, arrived at the gate. We had not seen him here for a long time - he has been abandoned by his family (very unusual here....so not sure why?) - and he was in very poor shape.

He had had nothing to eat, no-one to cook for him (we generally don't provide food at the hospital, unless there is a great need) and he was very emaciated.

With money from Pauline’s ‘emergency drawer', we were able to get him a meal from the local market.....meat stew and bread rolls, to tide him over till tomorrow, when we will get a woman from a nearby village (also in dire straits) to come and cook for him twice a day, with food supplied by the Hospital, and she will be paid in food for her family. Hopefully it will work, and then we will try to sort through his social situation.

Over the past few weeks there has been quite a lot of tribal fighting going on. Two weeks ago it was between the Nuer (farmers) and the Dinkas (cattlemen). Very big fight, many killed about 20ks away. Other Nuer and Dinkas from other areas came to join the battle and, in the end, the police came in, a court was set up and the dispute was sorted, for now.

No one seems to know exactly what it was about, but no doubt it would be cows that were at the bottom of it. One of the Jure (another tribe) staff was too frightened to come to work in case he was attacked by the particular Dinka tribe. We had four patients admitted with gunshot wounds, two have been since discharged and two remain.
Just at the weekend there was another fight, at Mvolo about a 2hr walk away, again with automatic weapons; two killed, a man and a women. Cows again.

We are all feeling quite good this week as one of the medical officers has just come back from a workshop in Juba (S Sudan capital, about 300k away). The topics? ‘Clean and safe environment’, ‘the risk of infections to staff and patients’; he spoke about it in assembly, so it really followed on to what we have already started - ‘Cleaning up for the Cup’ and beyond. Very pleasing!

Then yesterday, three new Slovakian Dr’s arrived. One specialises in public health (here for 5 weeks), so again the same message. Clean, safe environment – Yippee!!

I think when I started this ‘Cup’ thing, the staff thought “it’s just Anne on her latest thing”, but things are changing. They are all cleaning like mad on Saturday - that’s their big day off, too. Fierce competition though, neck and neck some teams!! The really sophisticated scoring system is a closely guarded secret!!

Poor theatre staff are getting upset, as we can only inspect one area of the theatre, as they operate on a Saturday. I tried to tell them that they are just so clean anyway. We will inspect on Friday instead. Outside judges now, pressure on.

Back on all burners again from a bug that knocked me about this week - not sure what it was but all is well now. One of the Drs who has just arrived - been here for 5 days - has got malaria, it must have been the first bite. She is taking medication too!!!
Still want to come, Ian……..