Today has been very eventful.
Most importantly, a team from Hereford has arrived (senior
ODP, 2 anaesthetic fellows) bringing with them a load more anaesthetic
equipment and lots of enthusiasm (not to mention some underpants for one child,
a pair of swimming goggles for another and a jar of pesto for the littlest one
who has been pining!). A very welcome morale boost on all fronts! They are here
for just over a week and it has been fantastic to talk through so many different
things already – what we have done, what we can do whilst they’re here as well
as some strategic planning for the future.
Today we tackled an incisional hernia which was a great case
for the team here. Both the local general surgeons scrubbed with me and it was
a really nice moment. Team building, I guess you would call it. It was a fantastic
case too, challenging enough to be interesting, but with a wealth of excellent
learning (the subtleties of planes, making best use of instruments, key
principles of hernia surgery and some brilliant anatomy – I find myself falling
deeper and deeper in love with anatomy, today the arcuate line made its appearance
right on cue and gave a flawless performance!).
By using it today, we also expanded the remit for the mosquito
net mesh, which, in itself, is quite an exciting development (assuming all goes
well with the patient’s recovery). This was the 6th case we have
used mesh in.
And to top off the day, a very authentic African experience
in meeting the local Bishop. The clergy in Tanzania are highly influential in local
and national government / policy and it was a real honour for Kate and I to be
invited to meet with him alongside some of the senior hospital staff. He is a
delightful man, very charismatic with a warming laugh, and looked the part too
dressed in robes of vibrant purple. During our conversations, he asked for
ideas on what he could do to help build the relationships between Muheza and
the UK. Given the opportunity, I explained some of the issues we encountered in
getting here (paperwork and money – both of which are significant barriers) and
also recounted the challenges that I understand the Hereford – Muheza Link Charity
has faced recently in trying to ship containers here – costs have spiralled and
become prohibitive.
On the home front the girls have now broken up for the Christmas
holidays and I’m pleased to say that they all seem to have turned the corner health
wise. Obviously we’re considering every possible tropical disease (why wouldn’t
you – fascinating medically) and top of our list to consider is giardia… the
only trouble is that we either treat empirically or produce a stool sample for
the lab (they can do microscopy here and look for the critters – parasites that
is!). Hmmmm…...
And finally a thank you to all those who have sent us some
post. Such a morale booster (as are the messages you have been sending). Being
handed the envelopes today by the hospital secretary put a massive smile on my
face, which was however nothing compared to the delight they caused when I got
home. Asante sana.
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