Since Friday was a national holiday (Mohammed's birthday) and Sat & Sun the OPD clinics were closed Monday brought out the crowds. There was standing room only in the OPD hallway and long lines at registration, the lab, and the Pharmacy.
The 3 Dunguya friends referred by the Palliative care team on Thursday arrived via motorcycle in spite of the muddy road conditions. Sunday brought a torrential downpour to the area. And today we had more rain later in the afternoon. Electrical power was intermittent for two days following.
Good news - bad news! The first patient had a negative cervical cancer smear but the 2nd patient was HIV positive on re-testing.
The first patient received antibiotics at no cost for a vaginal infection ( paid for partially by the hospital "poor patient fund", CTC, and another donation by a MN visiting nurse ;). Although the antibiotics were covered it took two trips to the community pharmacy to locate and purchase the correct amount as the hospital pharmacy was out of stock. Although the order clearly stated 2 gm every day for 5 days, the clerk would only sell me 5 Gm the first trip. So I walked back to the hospital pharmacy to re-confirm the dosage and learn a few more Kiswahili words to make my case that I needed 5 more vials. Hurrah! I was successful on my 2nd trip. The general ward nurse inserted an IV catheter with an insertion port and gave the first dose. Now let's pray the patient will return the next four days to complete the course. She has no family in Ilula so will have to make the trip back and forth every day to that remote village by foot. It will take her 2-3 hours each way.
The other two patients were counseled and treated in CTC. Healthcare in Ilula.
All's well that ends well but in Tanzania the heart wrenching stories never end.
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