Grace and Julius did hospice visits today. They brought beans, rice, cooking oil and a powdered protein supplement to each patient that was visited. The group consisted of 2 Tanzanian RN’s, a chaplain and a visiting chaplain. The Hospice staff & clients were very happy to have Grace and Julius. All the Hospice patients had HIV.
The group went to Selian Hospital today and was blessed with starting the day by attending church service with the staff from Selian. The choir was absolutely beautiful. Jacky assisted the general surgery team with seeing the referral patients from our outreach clinics. The surgery department also had some residents with them. Jacky noted that the examine rooms were lacking a lot of needed supplies that US healthcare workers are used to. The team realized how fortunate we are to have the supplies that we need, but we are also amazed at what can be done with so little.
Dr. Alex assessed the orthopedic patients with the local orthopedic doctors at Selian Hospital. The late stage cases are sad due to being unfixable. There were also cases that were exciting because they can be given a whole new quality of life. Dr. Alex continues to amaze everyone with his knowledge and teaching skills. We are blessed to have him with us.
Melissa worked with Dr. Elibariki and another resident with seeing patients from the outreach clinics. It was overwhelming at times as there were a lot of patients to be seen. It was rewarding to see the outreach patients come and get set up for medical issues to be corrected. Most of the patients have lived with their conditions for years. The team doing the outreach clinics is what brought them to Selian and the specialists.
Gayle spent her time with the orthopedic clinic and Dr. Alex. Because this is her 33rd trip to Tanzania she is familiar with a lot of the issues that the population suffers from. She also has been able to follow up with past patients that were helped by Hope Ministries.
