April 13th: Yuri, Day 2 Part Two - Hospital Visit

Went to the hospital today with Susan, Yoly and Pat (the RN who is our team leader). Due to the strike we were unsure of whether we could even get IN the hospital, but thank heavens they made the exception that we could.

We met with Dr. Valentin and the nurses that work in the neonatal ward. This was very hard. It is very difficult to see the equipment they have that doesn't work or is broken - things that have been donated with nothing to help sustain them or train the staff in how to use them. My tears got the most of me today. I felt very overwhelmed and saddened by what I saw. It was particularly hard because in many ways I think the staff thought that I could fix these incubators and their lone ventilator. We had to explain to them that in Canada we have people who are trained specifically to fix equipment and that I just didn't know how to do it. The look on their faces as we explained this was very hard for me. They are so gracious and thankful for any help but I just know they were really hoping for someone who to fix their stuff! What they really need is a Bio-Med Engineer who can come down and fix the equipment and then train them on how to maintain it. There are many ethical issues in the world of volunteering medically in developing nations and the donation of equipment is one such area. It is wonderful that hospitals and individuals are willing to give, but it's vital that when something is given, it's given with a knowledge of the recipient's ability to sustain it and maintain it. What good is a broken ventilator or a ventilator that arrives without all the pieces?...that's just cruel.
The nurses here are very inventive! It's amazing to see how they have constructed oxyhoods (used for babies that require some oxygen) and aerochambers (a device used to assist small children in using inhalers). They truly make the most of what they have.

An aerochamber made from a water bottle.

A breast pump! (all ya really need is a syringe!)

oxyhoods - plastic bowls with a portion cut out and then wax paper taped around it.

the non-working ventilator

This is a newer part of the unit...very nice. Inside is a incubator that doesn't work properly. This is their Isolation area.

Two beautiful transport incubators that don't work.

Dr. Valentin wanted to tour us through the pediatric area. We saw a young boy with a snake bite! - his leg all swollen with large blisters on his foot and up his calf. There was a baby at the hospital, 8 months old, weighing only 5 kg. She had been diagnosed with bacterial and viral pneumonia. So sick. As soon as we walked in her room I could tell she needed more intervention than she was getting. She was grunting and indrawing - working hard to breathe, malnourished. I put my wrist on her forehead and she was just burning up. I don't know what will become of her. This is one of those cases that reminds me of the Doctors Without Borders documentary I saw years ago. The Doc in that film talked about how when you are in a developing country caring for people medically, you can't think of what could be done at home for that person, you have to just understand the reality of the situation where you are and work with what you have. The staff at the hospital explained to me how they have to hand-bag a baby for hours at a time sometimes due to the lack of a working ventilator.

So much to process in my heart and mind.

The 8 month old baby girl and her mother (note the monstrous oxygen tank behind her)

A young boy with a chest tube in (note the drainage bottle on the ground). His chest drainage was sheer green, it was horrible.

One view of the treatment room

Another view of the treatment room

Dr. Valentin and Yoly (two expectant moms!)