The team arrived at the Hospital at 7:30 am on Tuesday. The scheduled included 8 females (1 pediatric) and 7 males (3 pediatric) with cases that included hernia, mastectomy, abdominal masses, cholecystectomy and a foot amputation. After having one day under their belts, the team got off to a good start and completed the schedule without complications.
The Emergency Room team had another busy day and their cases included: suturing a laceration on a man’s wrist with an arterial bleed, treating a man hit by a car, inserting 10 foley catheters, treating a 2-year old boy with an open skull fracture and treating several burn victims. They cared for 28 patients today.
The team feels that the patients are all very stoic, tough and never complain. Many of the patients walk for weeks to get to the hospital to be treated and once they are admitted to the hospital they might wait 2 – 3 weeks until they are scheduled for surgery. When they are admitted, they are sent to a ward where there are 200 patients being cared for by only 6 nurses. The wards are filled with patients with one family member and many of the patients are on cots on the floor. The children are given minimal food for long periods of time until they are ready for surgery.
Outside the hospital there are anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000 people that camp in the guardian area. In this area there is a fire and families can cook and do laundry.
We hope you enjoy some of the images from the day.