Amazing first day

Dear Folks Kwesi and I are celebrating our first day over a Mutzig (local beer) and curried aubergine over rice with tomato and avocado salad. Not bad eh.

We were picked up punctually at 7:00 am and off to the hospital we went weaving between potholes and near dead on collisions-Kwesi has now offered to sit in the front seat from now on.

We met with the director of the hospital and Dr. Willi as well as Esperance-the schedule is certainly shifting from the preplanned template but we are going with the flow.

We started making our tour of the hospital ORs which is interesting because the rennovations hve caused there to be multiple scattered ORs across the hospital grounds, the majority taking place in what was once opthalmology. As we entered the recovery room area which was packed with at least 6 stretchers in an area not much bigger than my kitchen, there was a baby looking extremely weak and being hand bagged vigorously by a nurse. Dr. Willi attempted to intubate but the baby was struggling. Shortly after that the baby ceased any respiratory attempts so I intubated the baby, and because of lack of IV access as the baby was totally peripherally shut down Kwesi put in an interosseous catheter-and we were able to bolus the baby fluid. Then we had to start looking for a ventilator and Dale you would be happy to hear this but we are pressure control ventilating the baby with an adult ventilator !! This was scrounged up from emerg. I forgot to mention that this baby was postop colostomy due to an inperforate anus. Besides this baby there was another one with an omphalocoele and what looked like multiple other anomalies. Anyway 4 hours later we proceeded with our tour of the hospital.

We met with the residents, Dr. Jeanne, and have set the teaching program up as well as going out for a coke with Paulin. I have also made contact with Martin by cell, but have not seen him because the kid has been in Tanzania on a safari tour.

So Kwesi and I are settling in-we are great supports to each other -
Forgot to mention that we ran into Dr. Patrick and another volunteer surgeon at the Hotel Milles Collines yesterday so small world !!

Got to go-did I tell you that we have no power right now-I am sitting at the top of the stairs and have to find my way back in the dark.

Take care and I will keep you posted.

Love Jennifer