The Medical Clinic

After setting up the makeshift pharmacy, we eagerly anticipated the scores of patients arriving at the clinic. I didn't know what to expect having no experience at all. However, Christie, the pediatric nurse practioner, filled us in with a quick-start orientation. She had been doing this for over a decade As a Christian missionary, and was based at the Good Samaritan Hospital. Moments later we were seeing people of all ages. Initially I felt out of my comfort zone, being a geriatrics-trained practioner. I tried to divert the younger patients to my other colleagues, and they did vice versa. However that strategy was not fool-proof and I ended up seeing an infant and some kids as well. That stretched my memory to my med school days but God provided, and I didn't feel too awkward after a while.

Most, if not all, of the patients we saw do not have access to basic over-the-counter meds that you would find at your local CVS or Walgreens. Hence, many of the ailments that we saw were relatively easy to treat, were it not for lack of access to basic meds & healthcare. We worked side-by-side with some local practioners from the community and Good Sam Hospital. We also saw patients with chronic medical ailments like diabetes and hypertension. These patients may have been previosly diagnosed or treated but often run out of meds. As such they go for a period without any treatment until they come across another clinic like this.

It was indeed a fulfilling experience for us, and we are looking forward to the next couple of days.