A beautiful shoreline greeted me this morning. We arrived safely back in Freetown late last night after a 7 hour bus ride across the country. We passed gorgeous country side and witnessed a magnificent sunset:
But, not far from our thoughts was the chaos we had left behind in Bo. Though many of us have been physically challenged by the surroundings, from GI upset to Asthma exacerbations, these were small challenges that we were prepared for and will never stop us from continuing our work. How easy it is for me to reach for my inhaler or antibiotics when needed—a fact I appreciate more than ever after spending a week here. We are lucky and privileged to have the embarrassment of riches in our own country, should it not then be our responsibility to give back whatever we can?
Leaving these missions always induces a mix of complex emotions. I selfishly feel glad I will sleep in my own bed and eat, free of stress over whether or not this meal is the one to send me to the bathroom for days. Simultaneously I feel awful that I have a choice. We will all think back to the harrowing sights that stay with us and motivate us to do more, because the inflictions on the human condition do not rest. Meanwhile in Yemen a famine rages, and we wonder how can we give more, how can we contribute. The day I opened my eyes to the devastation that our fellow human beings undergo, and I mean really open my eyes and SEE it in person, was the day I vowed to never take my comfortable life for granted—that those of us who are lucky to be the “haves” should logically be the ones to to help the “have-nots”.
Let us not forget what we have seen, what we are capable of and how much there is to do.
On this mission we had a team of surgeons both Ob/gyn and general surgeons who were able to provide life saving surgeries as well as help teach and train the local surgeons. Some of the challenges they faced were the lack of operating room lighting. Can you even imagine!? That an error from surgery may be due to lack of light. How quickly I change a light bulb in my own home when it dies. There are no retractors to help maintain a large field of exposure—one of the keys to surgery is being able to see as much as you can in your field so you know what blood vessels and organs are nearby. Both of these things are easy enough to arrange and MedGlobal is working on how to potentially provide these.
On the medical side our docs have seen and treated diseases from typhoid to malaria to diabetes and high blood pressure. We were able to provide free medications and donate a very large supply of medications upon our departure. Challenges faced were numerous—misunderstandings and stigma behind certain diseases, the instinct to turn to herbal remedies for life-threatening diseases with a cure. Our team did a wonderful job treating and counseling patients, each of them working with a local community health worker.
On the educational side we provided training for over thirty health care providers, from doctors to nurses to community health workers. The challenges we faced revolved around tailoring our training to the paucity of resources. This meant getting creative and brainstorming ways to improvise with what IS available. We were able to provide a brief ultrasound training to those with access to ultrasound and focused heavily on the recognition of sick patients and intervening early. We trained local physicians so that they could then re-administer this course thereby creating a path to sustainability. The most exciting part for me is the ability to stay in touch through social media and communication apps such as WhatsApp. Already I have received requests to share educational materials and training videos!
As I sit here and reflect on this trip I can’t help but think about where I’ll go next and how I’ll take the lessons I have learned here with me. I am hopeful that we were able to start something here in Sierra Leone that will have a lasting impact as MedGlobal continues to come back. I am hopeful that in training one person to manage acutely ill patients that we have saved the lives of those they encounter. I am hopeful that I will return soon and continue the work as there is still so much left to do.
Signing off from Sierra Leone. Up next, Dhaka, Cox’s Bazaar and Khatmandu in February.
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