medicine, shopping, and grub..... 3 of my favorite things :)

Today Kristy and I were welcomed by the Ospac and RBC medical teams at the Avea 2 Alliance Church. We were openly greeted by Mama Janine and Mama Christine, the nurses working in the clinic. Kristy was whisked off to work on a database for record keeping of the patients, in hopes to provide statistical data to aid in applications for financial aid.

I was quickly sent in to consult patients with Mama Janine. We saw a variety of patients from those with high blood pressure, palpitations, and other medical conditions. Due to the language barrier, I found myself focusing on the patient and the way they expressed their concerns and pain with their hands and expressions.

A Gabonese translator was available to translate, so between broken English and the common latin roots to medical terminology, I was often able to make sense of the discussion. And thank goodness for similar names for medicines! Pharmacology is tough enough in English!

In Gabon, due to the inconsistant medical treatment, patients carry their own medical records with them, as basic as they are - consisting of vital signs, chief complaint, diagnosis and plan only. No HPI, no PMH, no formal PE. Physical exams consisted of a quick listen to the heart or a quick look in the ears. Good thing 85% of diagnosis is in the history! (Sorry for the medical jargon - just a reach out to my fellow PAs out there!)

The medical system in Gabon does not provide easy access for the people here. There are a multitude of medical clinics, but the hospitals are often too expensive for the people to afford. A trip to the Bongolo Hospital (where Kristy and I will be visiting next week) is at least 10 hours away, but is the only hospital in the vacinity that has the resources to offer financial assistance to its patients. An operation at the local hospitals here in Libreville can easily cost twice as much as at Bongolo.

Working in a small clinic setting is a humbling experience. You have the same patients, with the same conditions, but so little in the way of resources. The clinic, although helped by the missionaries here, is alive and thriving due to the hard work and dedication of the Gabonese that run it. The clinic runs 5 days a week, with a mobile clinic often 2 days a week - with a small staff commited to helping the patients. The dedication displayed by Mama Janine and Mama Christine is only encouraging for the work I look forward to starting soon after I return to Frederick. I am anxious to get settled in to practicing medicine and soon find a way to outreach in my own community. To minister through medicine to those in need in my own world.

Lunch was bean sandwiches.... yummo! Considered the hamburgers of Gabon.

This afternoon, we frequented the local tourist market, where bartering is required if you want to walk out with any money left in your pocket. Much harder to do while calculating the exchange rate of money in your head! Kristy and I are working on a game plan to tackle the souvenir buying in the near future.

Adventures continued through dinner, where we tried some traditional foods of Gabon. We had a chicken and rice dish prepared by a close-by restuaruant (almost the size of a small deli) that we walked up the road to pick-up. We also had street food including fried bananas, fried sweet potatoes and a type of bread called montauk (sp??) -- also known as "mon-YUCK" by Tim. Needless to say the bread wasn't the highlight of our trip.

Tomorrow we will be working again with the medical team in the mobile medical clinic. So many more medical adventures to follow!