Safety First.

On Wednesday Tamara and I had to ask a few local people, but we found the hospital on our own! The Dala Dala was very packed in the morning. I had to stand, but there were so many people that the door wouldn’t close. Safety first, obviously.

Dala Dalas

Full Dala Dala

We got lost, so were a bit stressed about being late for morning report. People always say, “relax, we are on Tanzanian Time!” so, even though we were late for report, it didn’t start for another half an hour after we got there. All staff members meet first thing in the morning where they update on patients (in English…kinda), then other matters in Swahili. We spoke about preparing for Ebola, and the importance of taking a detailed history from patients flown in from other countries if they present with similar symptoms. Although there are no cases of Ebola in Tanzania at present, isolation precautions and preparations are being done.

The lady from yesterday’s c-section is doing well, and so is her little boy. So that was a relief. We “dusted” the labour and delivery patient rooms which consisted of cleaning bedside tables and windows with bleach water. Everything was so disgusting, it looked like cleaning was never done. There was splatter of who-knows-what all over the walls and tables. I was just overwhelmed. How is this healthy?

We spent the remainder of the day cutting gauze as there were no babies being born, and no scheduled surgeries. Gauze comes in a giant roll, and it is the staff’s responsibility to cut it, then it goes in the autoclave for sterilization. I really don’t mind doing duties like this, as I am here to help the hospital out as much as possible. 

I have used so much of my personal hand sanitizer as I haven’t seen any, or any soap anywhere on the units. Even the bathrooms have no soap (or toilet paper). So….yeah.

Thursday I spent the day helping in the HIV screening area. People would come in, give me their card, and I would locate their file. Then when the patient’s CD4 count results came back, I filed them. So, it was a day of filing, but it was interesting to see how things were organized and completed. The people who came in ranged from babies to old ladies. It was a busy day.

After placement, Hugh, Milan, Tamara and I explored nearby markets.  Everything is so bright and colourful. I loved the small, busy pathways filled with people and clothes.  Unfortunately we stood out, so people would come and “help” us and “show” us to other places, ultimately wanting a tip at the end for showing us around. We went to “Muzungu Market” which means white person market…a place popular for tourists. By the time we left, we had SEVEN guys following us around, it was irritating. There were plastic buckets of raw chickens sitting in the sun, covered in flies. I haven’t eaten chicken here since. I bought a stick from a Maasai medical man (a local tribe) which apparently helps headaches when you smell its smoke. If it works, I will fill my suitcase with them!  This place is so fun to explore! You never know what you will find!

On a side note: for those at home who are scared of me getting sick from Ebola or whatever else, I am more worried about crossing the street. I pray a prayer of thanks every time I cross successfully without getting hit. Traffic here is atrocious.