The Turkey in Mbale

Today's blog post title is brought to you by Angela, in honour of the turkey who lives near the dorms. It seems he's a rather angry turkey -- he doesn't like when people wear red, and he lets them know that by chasing them and snapping at their heels -- so he's always tied up to various fences and trees, unlike all of the free-range turkeys who also live nearby. He always says hello when we walk by, in his turkey way.

Anyway.

Today was our last day in Mbale for a little while, before we head to Jinja for the rest of the week. We had another busy day on the ward -- Sarah and Lyanne in maternity, Alix on the gynecology ward, where she did more interviews for her research, and watched some MVAs done by Dr. Paddy (post-abortal care using manual vacuums). Sarah coached a student clinician through his very first catch, and both Sarah and Lyanne resuscitated a wee little premature baby (between 30 and 32 weeks, we think) until she was breathing on her own. When we left the ward, she was still doing very well; hopefully she will continue to improve!

We finished off the evening with a lovely rolex-and-samosa dinner with Dr Paddy, who was able to work well past dark because Alix lent him her headlamp. This meant that they were able to offer care to several women who otherwise would have had to wait until morning, so we were happy to treat Dr Paddy to dinner. He's an excellent doctor, and very hardworking, so we really enjoyed getting to know him better. For Sarah and Lyanne, the highlight of the trip so far has been working with the wonderful staff at the hospital in Mbale. The midwives, nurse-midwives, doctors, and consultant doctors (Ob/Gyns) have all been incredibly warm, friendly, and welcoming to us, and they are wonderful teachers. They obviously face many challenges (the hospital's ongoing shortage of suture materials and IV cannulas is one of the more obvious challenges, along with always being under-staffed and very busy), but they work hard, they have incredible clinical skills, and they are kind and compassionate to the mothers and babies.

Sarah and Lyanne are excited about our next adventures, but leaving is bittersweet. We look forward to returning to Mbale in July.