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Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 31
Today our whole team was at Cure Hospital. We did three major ear surgeries with ENT residents from Black Lion Hospital. The patients all had chronic ear disease, and for at least two of them, we operated on their other ear on one of our previous trips. I also helped care for multiple patients having orthopedic surgery. The rest of our team saw patients in the clinic, probably at least 50 patients. Many got audiograms and a few got hearing aids as well. We are scheduling surgeries for later in the week.
Tomorrow three of us will go to Black Lion Hospital to care for ENT patients there, some will go to a school for the deaf where we have seen patients before, and some will be at Cure operating. We may meet up with a visiting team from Seattle tomorrow and also some other anesthesia volunteers later in the week.
Our team met for dinner in an Indian restaurant and now we are ready to rest for tomorrow! It is still warm and sunny here!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday October 30, 2011
While most of the East Coast of the US had a major snowstorm, we have enjoyed warm and sunny weather here in Addis. Some members of our team did lectures this morning for the ENT residents and then did some oral exams with the senior residents. We dropped off some surgical supplies at Cure. I went to church at the International Evangelical Church with a surgeon from Cure and his wife and then had a lovely lunch with them. I had Nile perch kabobs! Then some of us took a tour of Black Lion hospital.
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| Black Lion Hospital, Pediatric Unit |
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| Mural on Wall at Black Lion Hospital |
We will see our patients for surgery tomorrow and then have dinner with other medical colleagues in Addis that we have met during our trips. Tomorrow we start operating and seeing patients in the clinic.
Many of the shanty type houses and smaller buildings in Addis are being torn down to make new taller buildings. Many of the people are being relocated to the outskirts of town which will certainly make their life more difficult for transportation and other needs. It is a busy bustling city but a little quieter on Sunday. I can hear singing and speaking outside, I don't know if it is from a church or mosque or something else and lots of cars honking their horns. It is very dusty and dry but strangely comforting too because it is very familiar now that this is my fifth visit here.
October 28 & 29: Safe Arrival and First Day
Our flights to Ethiopia were very uneventful. Eight of us arrived last night and three this morning from all over the US: PA, CT, Las Vegas, NJ. I left Philadelphia at 5 pm EDT and arrived in Ethiopia 9 pm the next evening. It took another two hours for passport control, customs and transport to our hotel. One piece of equipment got stuck in customs and it took all morning and some paperwork and money to retrieve it.
A few team members went to the Ethiopian National Museum which is a very nice cultural and historical museum. Three of us went to Mother Theresa's Children's home on the outskirts of Addis. It was originally started 15 years ago or so when there were hundreds of children dying with HIV infections. Over the past 10 years, therapy for HIV has dramatically improved and is relatively available here so many of the children are thriving. They are either orphans or abandoned by their families but seem to have a good place to live now. It is run by a Catholic charity. There is a school and the kids seemed happy and healthy. They have just started a transition program for those who turn 18 and are ready to leave the village.
A few team members went to the Ethiopian National Museum which is a very nice cultural and historical museum. Three of us went to Mother Theresa's Children's home on the outskirts of Addis. It was originally started 15 years ago or so when there were hundreds of children dying with HIV infections. Over the past 10 years, therapy for HIV has dramatically improved and is relatively available here so many of the children are thriving. They are either orphans or abandoned by their families but seem to have a good place to live now. It is run by a Catholic charity. There is a school and the kids seemed happy and healthy. They have just started a transition program for those who turn 18 and are ready to leave the village.
We also visited the medical clinic and hospital. There were a dozen or more patients who mostly had TB. They can also be treated, but so many of them are arriving so late in the course of their disease that it is difficult. The physician who works there and gave us the tour is from Italy and has been working there for six years. We were very impressed by their work and we will be seeing some of their patients this week and training one of their medical assistants. We couldn't take any pictures, but it was quite clean and appeared well run.
We did a little souvenir shopping this afternoon and visited a local coffee shop. The coffee is amazing!
We had dinner with an ENT team from Syracuse that is leaving today. We met their team leader on a previous trip and have been trying to coordinate some efforts. We are staying in a very nice hotel which is a bit incongruous since the country and area are so poor. One of our partners has contacts with the managers and they have generously donated the cost of our stay. It is always quite amazing how many people we meet at the hotel who are here for medical related work. The need is immense, but it is hard to know where to start and what things are really making a difference.
Tomorrow - unpacking and checking OR equipment and lectures and dinner with other colleagues.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
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