Improvised signage at the Liberty Loo

'A way to go!'

Zebra poster










Thursday 22nd July

This week has flown by - so much to prepare for lessons and work on the ward. After working 3 days a week for years in Sydney, to at least 6 long days a week here, I can feel it.

I am feeling so tired, and there is so much misery here, I don’t know how Pauline does it, day after day, she needs a medal! She did get a gold one for the football, but not quite the same!!

The repeat anatomy and physiology exam went well. They all passed - there were 10 retakes. Next week, I am teaching the renal system…I wonder why me?!

The children’s ward looks great - all the posters are up, so colourful they really brighten it up, hope you can see the photos. Some of the children were a bit frightened to begin with, as they have never seen these animals even though they live in Africa. Most will never have seen a picture book, never mind a poster. They really enjoy getting their height taken, there is a bit of a competition going at the moment!! Thank you, Chantelle of Kids Art, it was a wonderful gift.

The lady with the snake bite has a daily dressing with normal saline soaks and antibiotics IV; I think she will be here for at least 6 months. Her new baby is beautiful, but so small, it lies with her in its goatskin all day. Never heard it cry. The only time you hear any of the children is at medication round when they have their injections.

The new buildings are moving forward despite the rain. The shelter for the baby clinic is nearly completed, so they will now be out of the sun and rain while they wait for the Doctor to see them.

There is also a tea room for the staff being built, as there is only a small hut at the moment, where about 10 people can sit. As there are now about 70 staff, that’s including cleaners & outreach staff, it is a little cramped.

We have a young health worker here just now (for 4 weeks) from Slovakia, so she has taken on the task of trying to explain to the patients and the co-patients how to use the new latrine. We might think this is an easy job, but these people are used to squatting in the bush. To go into a small room and balance over a big dark hole is all a bit strange. Washing also, is another past-time many do not understand, especially the ones from the cattle camps. They normally put dirt and ash on themselves to stop the mosquitoes, so to wash is quite alien. She has a hard job ahead of her.

We found a good visual image on the web which she copied with and without the cross in the circle and put it up appropriately - one at the latrine side, and one at the wash side. Again another problem, we all know what a circle with a red line across it means and we understand stick figures, but this is not the South Sudan world. So, every day, there is a group of people around the latrine, having a talk with a translator, discussing spread of disease and risk of infection. This will have to continue for a very long time as patients, of course, are changing all the time.