Index to Feb-C-series,
“Medical Mission to Malawi”
Forever in Transit:
From the Far Side of the World in the East, to
going to the Far Side West: Enroute from the Philippines
to Washington and Onward through Amsterdam and
Nairobi to Lilongwe, Malawi [+]
The arrival in Malawi, and introduction
to Embangweni Mission Hospital: a celebration
in honor of the visitors’ arrival and the medical
director’s departure, and a flavor of the hospital
patients on a late tour of the wards [+]
First full day
in Malawi at Embangweni, one of the “CHALM” networks
of all health care in Malawi, making rounds, distributing
supplies, all after a delightful start—a run at
dawn through the rural African land- and people-scape
[+]
First full operating day at Embangweni
begins at 2:30 AM “rendering unto Caesar” and
continues through a very general surgery day.
[+]
A miracle of drug availability for a very
rare case of meningitis that comes in by night;
then, my weekend starts with a long run at dawn,
preparing for the celebration and feast later
in the day for acknowledging arrivals and departure.
[+]
Sunday at Embangweni—a day of rest and
church services, and rounding through the hospital’s
less acute units to see the results of the admissions
so far in our stay and the preparation for operations
to come. [+]
An operating Monday, with daily chapel,
an orthopedic sequestrectomy, a thoracic rib resection
empyema drainage, and an afternoon sortie to see
brick making in progress for the new school amphitheatre.
[+]
Beginning the day with a run, I proceed
to a Theatre Day of urology, goiter, hydroceles,
and an elective C-section for a general surgery
tour de force. [+]
A morning run,
and a day in ward work, with a “swan song” C-section
by a pediatrician, returning from the heady world
of surgical chief at Embangweni to the student
status of a continuing peds resident. [+]
Running through
the rain, on the last day of February with a full
theatre list in the rainy season at Embangweni
Hospital. [+]