Christian Medial Fellowship
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Elective Experience - Kapsowar, Kenya;

Elective report by Emma Willert
A night call usually meant a very ill patient and I ran down to the hospital with some apprehension and much prayer. We had four one month old babies with increasing difficulty in breathing. There was only one oxygen cylinder. We found an oxygen concentrator and an adapter for two of the others. Then one baby stopped breathing but was successfully resuscitated. God brought all 4 babies safely through the night. It was a joy to see them eventually all go home fit and well. I was called to see a 4 month old boy who had been ill with diarrhoea and vomiting for 3 days and who had a sunken fontanel and eyes so that his lids were not in contact with his eyeballs. My attempts at intravenous access were unsuccessful and the little boy died before the doctor arrived. A transitory gut virus (probably) had caused devastating dehydration which could have responded to rehydration. I enjoyed the mobile clinic to dispensaries run by nurses trained at the hospital. One 16 month old little boy had not gained any weight for 8 months. The next week he came to see us at the hospital and a chest x-ray showed he had pulmonary TB that responded to treatment. Patients had to pay for every consultation, investigation and piece of equipment. The price of a basic night in hospital was the same as many of the fathers would earn in a day. We had to use the patients' money wisely. When children became ill, local village practice would sometimes employ rather drastic measures. A tooth would be pulled out for diarrhoea and vomiting, or a home craniotomy carried out and sometimes even packed with cow manure. In the hills there were lengths of logs balanced in branches of trees. These were beehives. The honey would be fermented into an alcoholic brew. If a person drank alcohol, they usually drank as much as they could lay their hands on. Arguments were often settled with pangas (used to chop wood). Alcoholic liver disease was common. Our weekly bible studies were extremely helpful. God used our efforts and limited drugs and worked miracles, healing and changing lives. I had hoped I would be able to give, but I gained far more than I could give.
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