Thats us finished 8 weeks of work-cant believe it, what a FANTASTIC few months!! We've been very busy for the past few weeks-not least of which was "attending" a poolside gala dinner with the High Commission and Vice President of Kenya!! (JAMMY!!!)We've had a few more visits to Paradiso Orphanage and got a chance to see the foundations of the new orphanage which they are building. Sad to say goodbye to the kids.
Even two months in we were still seeing new and unusual cases in the hospital, all of which kept work very exciting and interesting. We have done a lot of work on our burns research, some of the revelations being quite shocking-the lack of awareness of parents to the serious risks of burns being the greatest.
Once again, THANK YOU all so much for your kind donations!! We have raised over 500 euro, which has gone so far over here. Just today, a set of parallel bars which we got made from the donations arrived in the Physiotherapy department-much to the delight of all the Physios and patients. We also had a mobile full length mirror made for the department to use with the parallel bars and the many neurological patients. We also were able to buy large amounts of paraffin gauze (for burns patients), urine dipsticks, paracetamol, more POP and plaster, all of which are in HIGH demand in the hospital. The remainding donations are being used to install curtains between beds in the physio department to provide privacy to the patients-we can think of many of our patients who will be very grateful for this when it comes to them removing clothing for treatment.
This week we have visited an amazing facility for children with disabilities in Arusha. Sibusiso was set up in 2002 by a Dutch couple who retired in Tanzania and have since been fundraising to develop it into the hugely beneficial and holistic resource to the children of Arusha that it is today. This is the only establishment of its kind and provides 3monthly and 6monthly inpatient rehabilitation programmes including physio, occupational therapy, social work and teaching for children with children with mental and physical disabilities. For the older children they also provide life skills programmes-we met a class as they were gardening and cooking in a purpose built kitchen. An on-site workshop provides these children with any equipment they might need such as supportive seating, walking aids and standing frames. It is just amazing what they can make! Families are expected to pay the equivalent of six pounds for these 3 or 6 month stays, and the families who cannot afford this asked to contribute rice, beans, etc. Obviously, they are therefore hugely dependent on donations from westerners. As we are leaving soon and will be unable to pass on donations directly to the hospitals, if anyone still wanted to donate, our plan is to direct any donations to this foundation, as we have seen first hand the great work that is carried out here.
We will be putting up pictures of all the supplies and equipment once we get home-TIA, the internet connection isnt exactly broadband!! :)
Thanks again for everyone who has donated and kept up to date with the blog, your money has made a great difference.
We've had an unforgettable experience in Tanzania-if theres anyone who is thinking of doing it in the future, make sure to get in contact with one of us.
Cant wait to see you all when we get home,
Lots of love,
Ali and Bla
x x x x
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
New Hospital
So here we are a month and a half into our trip-hard to believe how fast our time has gone! Since our last post we spent 3 AMAZING days on safari in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater-It was like being on the set of The Lion King! We also been spending time in Paradiso orphanage here in Arusha, what gorgeous little kids-wish we could take them all home with us!
Upon finishing our first month of work in Meru District hospital, we have since finished two weeks working in the larger Mount Meru Regional hospital. This hospital is better equipped and the physio department there is more established, with around 5 physios employed there. We spend our days working between out-patients and the wards so have come across an even greater range of patients and conditions. We even had the chance to spend a day in the labour ward (EEEEKKK!!!) and watching orthopaedic surgery-not for the faint hearted (Alison!!).
We're also keeping ourselves busy doing a research project with guidance from one of the physios here who trained in the UK. The high numbers of severe paediatric burns in the hospital sparked our interest to investigate the reasons behind this.
We heard through the grapevine that there was an Irish woman working in the hospital-you cant go anywhere!! ;) It turns out an Irish nun has established a fantastic mental health department in the hospital. Having been away for so long this "mammy" figure made us feel right at home.
From the donations we have received we have already bought a substantial amount of medical equipment (Enough plaster of paris for up to 30 fracture cases, sterile gauze, cotton wool, gloves, tape, alcohol gel, a medical emergency pack etc.) which we have donated to Meru District. We are looking into buying a pulse oximeter for the Regional hospital (as they currently have none on the wards) as well as other medical and physio equipment.
We are SO SO appreciative to everyone who has already donated money and hope you can see that is all going to good use.
Just want to make a final MASSIVE plea to anyone who still wants to donate to please do this as soon as possible. We are coming into our final weeks so we need to buy the equipment in the coming days.
Again thank you so so much to everyone, looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Bla and Ali
x x x x x
Upon finishing our first month of work in Meru District hospital, we have since finished two weeks working in the larger Mount Meru Regional hospital. This hospital is better equipped and the physio department there is more established, with around 5 physios employed there. We spend our days working between out-patients and the wards so have come across an even greater range of patients and conditions. We even had the chance to spend a day in the labour ward (EEEEKKK!!!) and watching orthopaedic surgery-not for the faint hearted (Alison!!).
We're also keeping ourselves busy doing a research project with guidance from one of the physios here who trained in the UK. The high numbers of severe paediatric burns in the hospital sparked our interest to investigate the reasons behind this.
We heard through the grapevine that there was an Irish woman working in the hospital-you cant go anywhere!! ;) It turns out an Irish nun has established a fantastic mental health department in the hospital. Having been away for so long this "mammy" figure made us feel right at home.
From the donations we have received we have already bought a substantial amount of medical equipment (Enough plaster of paris for up to 30 fracture cases, sterile gauze, cotton wool, gloves, tape, alcohol gel, a medical emergency pack etc.) which we have donated to Meru District. We are looking into buying a pulse oximeter for the Regional hospital (as they currently have none on the wards) as well as other medical and physio equipment.
We are SO SO appreciative to everyone who has already donated money and hope you can see that is all going to good use.
Just want to make a final MASSIVE plea to anyone who still wants to donate to please do this as soon as possible. We are coming into our final weeks so we need to buy the equipment in the coming days.
Again thank you so so much to everyone, looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Bla and Ali
x x x x x
Friday, September 17, 2010
Weeks 2 and 3
So we have just finished our 3rd week and cant believe how fast its going!!!! We have both celebrated our birthdays since we last posted-they will be ones to remember! We have been busy visiting Kilimajaro and the waterfalls that surround it, but the highlight of the past two weeks would have to have been celebrating with the Welsh rugby captains after they finished their climb of Kili. Look out for our appearance in the ITV documentary!! :)
During our 2nd week we got a better feel for the hospital, gaining greater independence on the wards and a bigger case load-mostly working with people with TB and HIV. The lack of effective infection control measures made working with these patient groups a challenge although we werent willing to take any chances as the nurses were! We were shocked to see one of our HIV patients being suctioned with a urinary catheter - whether this was down to a lack of equipment or knowledge we weren't sure but it certainly didnt have the same effect! You can imagine- suction catheters are now also top of our list of supplies to buy for the hospital over the weekend! Because of the VERY laid back attitude of some of the nursing/medical staff, this patient may never have been suctioned if we hadnt spent 20 minutes searching the hospital for the one suction machine they had and whose covering of dust suggested it hadnt been used in quite a while.
We couldnt fathom how HIV positive patients were left mixed among patients of all medical conditions on the wards - posing risks for both themselves and those in the beds close beside them.
A somber start to our 3rd week - three of our patients had died over the weekend. What troubled us more was the attitude to these deaths and the fact that we couldnt get a specific cause of death from the nursing staff, we were merely told they had died from either TB or HIV. This was obviously a lot for us to take in, leaving the hospital that afternoon we could have done with a week off!! Our week picked up when we got back on track with a new load of neuro rehabilitation patients to keep us busy.
Our weekly Swahilli lessons are proving very helpful in the hospital - well for Alison anyway. Bla seems to be making up her own language confusing the patients even more "Hello, goodbye goodbye" "No please" "FIVE FIVE FIVE (instead of again!) and the likes..you'd want to see the patients faces!
Over the past few weeks we have compiled a list of the most urgent supplies that are needed in the hospital. So far, our shoppping list consists of Paraffin gauze (for burns), Plaster of Paris (for the many patients who cannot afford to buy it for themselves), Tape, Suction catheters, Walking sticks/crutches, Slide sheets (The manual handling is prehistoric!), infection control supplies etc..
So finally, a massive massive thank you to all those who have been so generous already. Your donations will make a huge difference to our patients and the hospital staff. We are also still appealing to those who havent yet donated- they are still so many things that are desperately needed in the hospital that your donations can go towards.
Thanks again,
Ali and Bla x x
During our 2nd week we got a better feel for the hospital, gaining greater independence on the wards and a bigger case load-mostly working with people with TB and HIV. The lack of effective infection control measures made working with these patient groups a challenge although we werent willing to take any chances as the nurses were! We were shocked to see one of our HIV patients being suctioned with a urinary catheter - whether this was down to a lack of equipment or knowledge we weren't sure but it certainly didnt have the same effect! You can imagine- suction catheters are now also top of our list of supplies to buy for the hospital over the weekend! Because of the VERY laid back attitude of some of the nursing/medical staff, this patient may never have been suctioned if we hadnt spent 20 minutes searching the hospital for the one suction machine they had and whose covering of dust suggested it hadnt been used in quite a while.
We couldnt fathom how HIV positive patients were left mixed among patients of all medical conditions on the wards - posing risks for both themselves and those in the beds close beside them.
A somber start to our 3rd week - three of our patients had died over the weekend. What troubled us more was the attitude to these deaths and the fact that we couldnt get a specific cause of death from the nursing staff, we were merely told they had died from either TB or HIV. This was obviously a lot for us to take in, leaving the hospital that afternoon we could have done with a week off!! Our week picked up when we got back on track with a new load of neuro rehabilitation patients to keep us busy.
Our weekly Swahilli lessons are proving very helpful in the hospital - well for Alison anyway. Bla seems to be making up her own language confusing the patients even more "Hello, goodbye goodbye" "No please" "FIVE FIVE FIVE (instead of again!) and the likes..you'd want to see the patients faces!
Over the past few weeks we have compiled a list of the most urgent supplies that are needed in the hospital. So far, our shoppping list consists of Paraffin gauze (for burns), Plaster of Paris (for the many patients who cannot afford to buy it for themselves), Tape, Suction catheters, Walking sticks/crutches, Slide sheets (The manual handling is prehistoric!), infection control supplies etc..
So finally, a massive massive thank you to all those who have been so generous already. Your donations will make a huge difference to our patients and the hospital staff. We are also still appealing to those who havent yet donated- they are still so many things that are desperately needed in the hospital that your donations can go towards.
Thanks again,
Ali and Bla x x
Monday, September 6, 2010
First Week in Tanzania!!!!
So here we are at the end of our first week in Africa and what a first week it was!! We have settled in quickly in the Work the World house with the 20 other medics and nurses, we're flying the Physio flag.
We started work to find that there was only one Physio working in the WHOLE hospital which consists of about 10 departments. A bit of a random start to our morning-while waiting to meet the physio we were given the job of cleaning some surgical equipment with soapy water-very sterile!!! The physio we were told had popped out to the bank-a perfect example of the laid back attitude to work here-TIA (This Is Africa) is a phrase we have become very familiar with!
On our initial tour of the hospital, nothing would have prepared us for the conditions of the wards-the overcrowding in the paediatric ward means that there are two families to a bed. A lot of the wards could be compared to a garage at home-cobwebs, mouldy bed clothes and mosquito nets (if available at all), infection control seems to be a foreign notion! Privacy is extremely limited with no curtains between beds, even in the labour ward.
The lack of equipment and funding mean that patients often don't receive adequate assessment or treatment and often go without. The hospital depends largely on donations from "Mzungu's" (white people-as we're often called). The minor theatre clinic which predominantly deals with fractures was without x-ray film before our arrival. Fortunately, from money raised by our housemate this has not been an issue since we have been here.
We have been working with several paediatric burn patients, which has been a serious eye opener and learning experience for us both. Largely due to the close living conditions these injuries are common and devastating-often covering large percentages of their bodies. This is one of the main areas where we would hope donations from our friends and family could make a difference. Lack of finances to buy topical antibiotics means doctors are resorting to using honey to coat these burns, which although has healing properties, is not suitable for these devastating burns. Together with the fact that the babies have been known to eat the honey coating the scald, possibly leading to further infection.
There are currently 2 Zimmer frames in the hospital, probably two of the only pieces of physio equipment we have come across. One of our post-op patients who has lay in bed for over 2 weeks is not progressing with her walking as we have no crutches or walking sticks to give her to enable her to walk without our help. This means she has to stay in hospital for a lot longer than she would in the UK or Ireland where this equipment is readily available.
This only scratches the surface of our experiences and of the areas where we think our donations could hugely impact these patients lives and quality of care.
For those of you who have donated, THANK YOU and we hope you can see where your money will be going and for those who haven't yet got around to it, can we PLEASE make a HUGE APPEAL for whatever you can give.
Thanks again,
Alison and Bla
x x x x
We started work to find that there was only one Physio working in the WHOLE hospital which consists of about 10 departments. A bit of a random start to our morning-while waiting to meet the physio we were given the job of cleaning some surgical equipment with soapy water-very sterile!!! The physio we were told had popped out to the bank-a perfect example of the laid back attitude to work here-TIA (This Is Africa) is a phrase we have become very familiar with!
On our initial tour of the hospital, nothing would have prepared us for the conditions of the wards-the overcrowding in the paediatric ward means that there are two families to a bed. A lot of the wards could be compared to a garage at home-cobwebs, mouldy bed clothes and mosquito nets (if available at all), infection control seems to be a foreign notion! Privacy is extremely limited with no curtains between beds, even in the labour ward.
The lack of equipment and funding mean that patients often don't receive adequate assessment or treatment and often go without. The hospital depends largely on donations from "Mzungu's" (white people-as we're often called). The minor theatre clinic which predominantly deals with fractures was without x-ray film before our arrival. Fortunately, from money raised by our housemate this has not been an issue since we have been here.
We have been working with several paediatric burn patients, which has been a serious eye opener and learning experience for us both. Largely due to the close living conditions these injuries are common and devastating-often covering large percentages of their bodies. This is one of the main areas where we would hope donations from our friends and family could make a difference. Lack of finances to buy topical antibiotics means doctors are resorting to using honey to coat these burns, which although has healing properties, is not suitable for these devastating burns. Together with the fact that the babies have been known to eat the honey coating the scald, possibly leading to further infection.
There are currently 2 Zimmer frames in the hospital, probably two of the only pieces of physio equipment we have come across. One of our post-op patients who has lay in bed for over 2 weeks is not progressing with her walking as we have no crutches or walking sticks to give her to enable her to walk without our help. This means she has to stay in hospital for a lot longer than she would in the UK or Ireland where this equipment is readily available.
This only scratches the surface of our experiences and of the areas where we think our donations could hugely impact these patients lives and quality of care.
For those of you who have donated, THANK YOU and we hope you can see where your money will be going and for those who haven't yet got around to it, can we PLEASE make a HUGE APPEAL for whatever you can give.
Thanks again,
Alison and Bla
x x x x
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
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