The MSF "super concert"

Union Chogorodo Sep 15 - 2010

Almost 200 consults in 2 days of mobile clinic. I am not sure if I should be happy or sad. If all these people were lining up to see a concert, it would be one thing. But no, they are lining up for hours, waiting on the sun with their children held close to their breasts for health care. And for BASIC health care. It’s not like they are waiting to see a specialist, or to have an expensive exam done. They are waiting for basic health treatment and a simple malaria test.

Managing that kind of crowd was a real test on us. Triage was transformed basically into crowd control and mechanical work: get the baby, measure, weight, name, fever?, next.  I felt like we were offering the bare bones quality of care compared to what we can actually offer, but there was just not enough time. Better have some care then none at all I thought. I think we did manage to at least recognize the sickest of the sickest and to see the children first.

We took 3 children out to a center for nutritional recovery that exists in Rio Sucio (an 8 hour boat ride on a good day). They were all so sick and small… One of them was a year and a half old and only weighted 5 kg (a bit more than 10lbs). She could not walk or talk yet. On the boat, I watched her hold a piece of toast and fall asleep with it. Afraid that she would drop it, one of the girls tried to take it, but she was holding on to it with such determination that she would not let it go. She held on to it the whole way and nibbled at it here and there.  She was the one too sick to smile or play with me.

The last day we had to send some people home without being seen, and we were finally done at 8pm after packing up everything with flashlights, I thought we would have people coming in the middle of the night, like the night before, but we only got one couple.

We plan on going back there soon, and spend more days and hopefully bring a dentist in November, we’ll see how it goes.