Leaving Douala

Consulting in the clinic, Gladys, our interpreter and a patient

It is hard to believe but our time here in Douala is almost up. Sister told us yesterday that we will be leaving on Saturday to head up to Njinikom.  The time has passed very quickly here and we are both very grateful for the opportunity to have served here. The hospital here provides a service for the people of Douala that cannot be measured. The sisters provide quality, low cost care to all in a spirit of charity and compassion. They labor under very difficult and at times trying conditions. We have even seen them donate blood for a hemorrhaging cesarean section patient when no other blood was available. The patients, with very rare understandable exceptions, are very patient and grateful as they wait sometimes for hours in the heat and humidity to be seen. For example, on Tuesday, the entire hospital courtyard was full of pregnant women waiting well into the afternoon to be seen in the prenatal clinic. It must have easily been 200 to 300. They usually begin lining up as early as 7:00am.  The labor room consists of a single small room with 2 beds and chairs along a very narrow hallway. This for 10 deliveries a day. We have seen as many as 30 people (laboring patients and “guardians” crowded into this small space at one time.

The sisters and the cardiologist from Shisong are here to conduct a cardiac screening clinic yesterday and today. There is a very sophisticated cardiac center in Shisong which provides state of the art care. There is currently a US cardiologist there Steve Peck, who we met when he arrived here in Douala on his way there. He is also a Mission Doctors Association doctor and is going to be there for 4 weeks.

The good news is that the eclamptic patient from the other day seems to be recovering very nicely. She seems to be ok and will be going home soon along with her baby.

As of today, we have seen over 400 patients in the clinic and performed 30 cesarean sections as well as 5 ectopic surgeries. Our next blog will most likely be from Njinikom next week.

Morning rounds with Sister Christa and Gladys

Eclamptic patient (in red), her baby and mother