The Road Home

It seems like each week at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Mission Hospital has it's own "medical theme".  Recent weeks have been filled with complex malaria, tuberculosis,  or typhoid fever.  Last week it was premature infants.  We have lost one in this last week, the remainder are progressing on their way to the road home.  The trip home for a premature infant here requires the love and attention of many people.  It requires a mother who will get up every three hours for days or weeks initially, around the clock, to express breast milk so that the child may be fed.  It requires attentive nurses to monitor the locally-made incubator and take measures to keep the child warm when the electricity goes off.  In summary, it requires food, warmth, love, and prayers.   Our smallest infant was born this week weighing 1.1 Kg (a bit under 2 1/2 pounds).   When he grows to 2 Kg (just under 4 1/2 pounds) he will be taken out of the incubator to stay with his mother.  This is a time of some concern as the buildings have no heat and the infant must adjust to life outside of the incubator.  When the infants reach 5 1/2 pounds, they are sent with their parents out into the world. 

Our smallest infant this week has a wonderful mother and nurses who care for him as they would their own.  When I first examined him this week, he kicked me.  Hard.   I think he will do well.

Stayed in my Mind

It has been great to be at St. Martin de Porres Hospital for the last several days with the Hakes.   It has been hard, though, to see the burden of diseases born by people here, particularly Malaria, Tuberculosis, and HIV.

There were two patient's this week who stayed in my mind.  The first was a young man who had recently been admitted with all of malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV.  He had a prolonged hospitalization during which his malaria was treated, his tuberculosis begun on treatment which allowed him to return safely to his home, and his HIV begun on treatment.  He looked happy and strong.  The total cost for this hospitalization was about $110.  The second patient was a young infant who was admitted to pediatrics with pneumonia and a severe congenital liver problem.  The pneumonia was treated, but there are not the medical resources available to evaluate or treat his liver problem.  
 
The young man is a joyful reminder of how much can be done with so little to help people.  The young infant was a sobering reminder of the inequities of the distribution of healthcare in the world.