Hospital Central de Beira is the main hospital in the city. We send the patients to the hospital to get x-rays, blood tests (CBC, BUN/Cr, etc), biospy samples, sputum cultures, and obviously to be admitted if the patient is in dire need. It has been said not to trust that the patient will be seen immediately (even if in dire need) so whatever treatment means we have at the clinic - im injection of antibiotics or first course of antimalarials - is to be given prior to sending the patient. 
After being here for some time, I decided it would be really awesome to see the large hospital and follow-up on knowing what things were like on the other side. It is interesting to note that many cities in Portuguese colonial towns were set up with the hospital as a central location. Even today, it is one of the key places to catch public transportation and a helpful way to navigate the city is by knowing where it is.
For the visit to the hospital, Dan and I met up with Quetunga (a graduate and doctor from the medical school associated with the clinic.) He spent a good hour or getting paperwork completed to officially permit our visiting the hospital. In the meanwhile we met docs from Italy, Mozambique and Cuba.
Touring just the Medicine Ward IV was truly eye-opening. Three people to a room, with mosquito netting hanging above each bed, it was a far cry from western hospitals. We saw patients recovering meningitis, pneumonia, diabetics after DKA, multiple HIV+ complications... As emaciated (truly these patients needed to be hospitalized) as some of them were, I will never forget a young 22 year old looking no more than 12 laying flaccid, weak, who began to cry when our doctor explained we just didn't have enough blood to treat her severe anemia. When I say severe, I mean a Hemoglobin of 2.4 (you and have numbers above 11). Her mother was asked why she couldn't ask her neighbors to come donate. She said no one could come.
No comments:
Post a Comment