We got up this morning at 9, simply because we were too exhausted from the work several days before to get up early. We gathered some stuffed animal donations from home (we had about 56 total animals to distribute and we took half), and set out for Ho Municipal Hospital, the local hospital, by taxi. The day was blazing hot and all of us were sweating like crazy.
We first met with the Matron, the head female nurse who controls everything in the hospital. She wished us good luck and sent us off to the Children's Ward. There, we met with Gladys, who is the head nurse of Pediatrics. She was excited by the amount of stuffed animals we were carrying with us and helped us distribute them to severely sick patients. We first visited a young boy who had the biggest smile on his face. We offered him our entire bag of stuffed animals to choose from. He took my Snoopy doll, a childhood favorite. This boy was relatively well, considering that he was able to wander about the ward with his new toy in tow.
Many of the other five patients were babies, too little to understand the use of a stuffed animal and far too little to grab it from our hands. Eventually, they all received a new toy, and we left the rest with Gladys before we went on our way.
The stuffed animal distribution did not take too long--perhaps an hour and a half or so. As a group, all of us decided to confront the Matron again and offer additional help. The Matron gave us handkerchiefs with "Love, Ho Municipal Hospital" written on them, and proceeded to split the group up, sending Emily and me to the Maternity Ward, and Chandler, Jen, and Linh to the Outpatient Clinic (OPD).
Upon arrival to the Maternity Ward, Emily and I were surprised by how all of the expecting mothers were all in a large room together as opposed to separate spaces. One of the mothers already had given birth to her child, only a day or so old by the look of it. We smiled at the newborn, and the mother had to smile back. After meeting the head nurse, we observed the conditions around us. Not the pristine, sterile hospital conditions we were used to. There was a lack of ultrasound technology. When the nurses made their rounds to the mothers, they used a small-cone like instrument with a stethoscope to try to find the baby's heartbeat. This was incredibly shocking, for there were many times that the nurses did not immediately find the baby's heartbeat and we began to question whether the baby was still alive.
The three of us who went to the OPD took vitals of incoming patients, using basic technology, such as a small blood pressure machine and stethoscope, as well as only a watch to take a pulse. We were all generally surprised by how low-tech hospitals in this local area are.
After our hard work in the morning, we returned to the house for a late lunch around two, the usual rice, beans, fried chicken, and spicy sauce. However, only a few minutes into eating, we heard a large explosion in the kitchen. The oven exploded! The cook, Alberta, had turned on the oven and the stove at the same time, and the gas pressure was too high. Luckily no one was hurt.
The electricity went out a few minutes later, but a nap later, both problems were fixed.
Well to the Regional Hospital in a bit! Will keep you all updated~
Love,
Erica
We first met with the Matron, the head female nurse who controls everything in the hospital. She wished us good luck and sent us off to the Children's Ward. There, we met with Gladys, who is the head nurse of Pediatrics. She was excited by the amount of stuffed animals we were carrying with us and helped us distribute them to severely sick patients. We first visited a young boy who had the biggest smile on his face. We offered him our entire bag of stuffed animals to choose from. He took my Snoopy doll, a childhood favorite. This boy was relatively well, considering that he was able to wander about the ward with his new toy in tow.
Many of the other five patients were babies, too little to understand the use of a stuffed animal and far too little to grab it from our hands. Eventually, they all received a new toy, and we left the rest with Gladys before we went on our way.
The stuffed animal distribution did not take too long--perhaps an hour and a half or so. As a group, all of us decided to confront the Matron again and offer additional help. The Matron gave us handkerchiefs with "Love, Ho Municipal Hospital" written on them, and proceeded to split the group up, sending Emily and me to the Maternity Ward, and Chandler, Jen, and Linh to the Outpatient Clinic (OPD).
Upon arrival to the Maternity Ward, Emily and I were surprised by how all of the expecting mothers were all in a large room together as opposed to separate spaces. One of the mothers already had given birth to her child, only a day or so old by the look of it. We smiled at the newborn, and the mother had to smile back. After meeting the head nurse, we observed the conditions around us. Not the pristine, sterile hospital conditions we were used to. There was a lack of ultrasound technology. When the nurses made their rounds to the mothers, they used a small-cone like instrument with a stethoscope to try to find the baby's heartbeat. This was incredibly shocking, for there were many times that the nurses did not immediately find the baby's heartbeat and we began to question whether the baby was still alive.
The three of us who went to the OPD took vitals of incoming patients, using basic technology, such as a small blood pressure machine and stethoscope, as well as only a watch to take a pulse. We were all generally surprised by how low-tech hospitals in this local area are.
After our hard work in the morning, we returned to the house for a late lunch around two, the usual rice, beans, fried chicken, and spicy sauce. However, only a few minutes into eating, we heard a large explosion in the kitchen. The oven exploded! The cook, Alberta, had turned on the oven and the stove at the same time, and the gas pressure was too high. Luckily no one was hurt.
The electricity went out a few minutes later, but a nap later, both problems were fixed.
Well to the Regional Hospital in a bit! Will keep you all updated~
Love,
Erica
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