Issue no 1, 2000 -- English edition -- home
Page: -- Contents -- 1, 2, (3), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
"Large areas of the hospital echoed deserted and empty because of the current starvation and abject poverty after three years of drought. People in general were completely destitute. Outside the office was a pathetic collection of things accepted as payment for treatment instead of cash: some bits of roofing metal, a length of wire, two rusty bicycles, a gate, and a plow."
This description is from surgeon Christen Henriksson, from Hovås, Sweden, at the now 50 year old hospital Muthale in Kenya. Followers of the Holy Francis of Assisi, a Catholic nun order, run the hospital. Still, Dr Henriksson, who now practiced instead of the ordinary doctor, is prepared to go back again. He namely believes there is hope for the future.
"There are a number of good things to say about the hospital, and my work gave many positive impressions. The staff is skilled and eager to learn more. A school for assistant nurses functions well, the hospital equipment is improving, and the doctor residence was the best African one I have stayed in."
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The Doctor Bank has provided mosquito nets for all the hospital beds in Muthale -- here 100 nets are loaded into the hospital jeep. |
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This is what the mosquito nets look like that the Doctor Bank donated to Muthale Hospital -- they are effective protection against malaria. |
Christen Henriksson is one of the Doctor Bank veterans, now out for the seventh time. Besides Kenya, he earlier worked in e.g. Congo, RCA and Zambia. The Doctor Bank board has many times been able to rejoice that our doctors do not give up, in spite of difficulties that surely most of us would find too great. Christen Henriksson is one of these doctors. Furthermore, he always gives thanks in his reports for the opportunity to go out, while he at the same time applies for new postings.
Dr Ulla Evaldsson-Carlén, from Skövde, Sweden, got a new name from the students when she taught at St. Mary's School for Clinical Medicine in Kenya: Kukhu Nasimiyo, freely translated as "grandmother who came in the dry season".
"The normal pedagogy applied was drill and rote memory, where it was a question of rattling off the main points of the lesson. I instead tried a more practical, clinical application of the knowledge they had: getting a proper case record, examining a patient carefully, and from this activating their knowledge to try and arrive at a diagnosis and treatment plan. The students appeared to appreciate the lessons. The headmaster reported that someone had commented 'she makes us understand things we didn't see before'. I came to really like these eager and interested young people, who in addition gave me a new name."
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Dr Ulla Evaldsson-Carlén |
"Some were so sick from malaria that we had to treat them with intramuscular injections in the shade under a tree. Their vomiting made it impossible to use tablets. This applied to both children and some adults. Some were very sick, running high fevers and suffering diarrhea, headache and body pain, but they were amazingly patient and never complained."
Jeep-doctor Monika Sundqvist, from Hässelby, Sweden, gives us this report from the Nandi Hills relay in Kenya. Her stay there coincided with the yearly peak in malaria cases.
"This highland area is a highly endemic malaria region. For the most part, people contracted malaria falciparum, which is chloroquine resistant. When we arrived, at least 2000 people had died in malaria over a few weeks. We could follow developments daily in the newspapers and on location."
Dr Sundqvist ends her report:
"Despite all the disease and hardships, the contacts in this part of the world have filled me with admiration and tenderness. I want to thank the Doctor Bank and Rotary, who gave me the chance to work as a jeep-doctor. I look forward to more assignments."