Africa Vision 35

Africa Vision 35

N’Djamena, January 9, 2008

Drunk as a truck.

The 16 year old rolling in on a motorbike between two friends is bleeding profusely from his eyelid. As he is carried into the examination room he needs to be constrained by 4 men as he is rolling all over the place. Spitting left and right and so drunk whenever he tries to sit up he comes crashing down. In between moans he is about to die and ready to be received in paradise he is able to tell us he was out drinking with three buddies and then got onto a bicycle to crash head first onto the road. His buddies were more or less ok but our youngster needs suturing under anesthetic otherwise he will not need to buy a Halloween suit he will look the part.

Luckily for him his family was forgiving (at least in the hospital). But after he spat at our nurse for the fifth time I called it a day. Our friend was to be carried to a isolated room, left guarded by 2 relatives, sleeping on a mat because he would fall out of a bed. The next day he could be operated.

Drinking is or has become a big part of life here in Bebedja. In the weekends and festive days but as the case shows also on a Wednesday. And it is not restricted to adults. Local beer drunk from a bucket with a straw is a good way to get plastered for very limited money by all ages. One of the nicest building in the village is a newly constructed bar dancing.

Dr Gusto is getting a well deserved rest in the afternoons as I do the afternoon, evening and night rounds. Today it seemed very calm in the hospital and one of the nurses told me that as people spent all their money during the festive season. For an admission to the hospital there is limited cash so many patients await their pay slip at the end of the month.

Another group of patients in the hospital are those with burn wounds. Right now we have two with burn wounds up to 40% of the body. Last night one of them woke up a relative sleeping in the room. It seemed someone was urinating in the room. But in fact her burn wound had burst open and likely an artery or a vein had burst. At least a liter of blood was scattered on the floor. And then the next morning you need all your negotiating skills to assure that one of the family members will give blood. Her haemaglobin had dropped to dangerous low levels. And then she had another bleed. At last a relative stepped up and offered to be a donor. As her bandage was changed I could not but feel how much pain the lady must be going through. She is an epileptic and had fallen into the fire while convulsing.

Good things also happen. An eight year old who had fallen into a waterwell 15 meters deep and then went in to a coma woke up today and he wants to drink and eat. Kids have such a capacity to rebound it is a pleasure to see. And then the young lady, HIV positive and the echo revealed she was pregnant of twins. As there are antiretroviral drugs she will start with the medication this week.

Bebedja always remains a good place to reflect. At 21.00 electricity is switched off. I have a great place to drink a fruit juice every evening. The nurses are fun to work with and I hope to start with some small trainings maybe even this time and otherwise the next visit. And my little bungalow is visited in the morning by my two neighbors goats.

Peace,

Ashis