January Oboro/opokunu camps

The last camp before Dr Oghumu travels to India for a clinical teaching attachment

at Padhar Mission Hospital , funded by a grant specifically for post graduate

teaching.

 Septic, malnourished Child with characteristic scars of the witch doctors knife

We arrived at Oboro, the first of the four communities. A lot of needy cases were seen here , over 70% were malaria cases. Iwas also introduced to the new community chairman who happens to be a retired army nurse,he has shown a lot of interest in our work and has promised to help the hcw in their community work. The hcw,s will also liase with the new midwife in the community health centre  and will also be linked to the TBA's(Traditional Birthing Attendants) through the hcw,s,the aim is to reduce infant mortality by encouraging pregnant women and children to visit the health centre. It will also be an opportunity  for our hcw's to acquire relevant skills for the period the midwife is around,because it is likely she will  leave the community someday this coming year .   The chairman has also placed a fine on any woman caught delivering at home. The other communities seen were gbalegoro and esama,and all went well. We saw the usual array of cases: febrile convulsions to severe anaemia,malnutrition,sepsis,ANC,impotence,hypertension  and post op eye patients who walked into the clinics themselves unlike during the triage when they were brought in via wheel barrow,walking sticks,or with the help of relatives. The HCW,s in all four communities seen,that is seven of them in total were restocked with drugs and consumables to treat and educate the communities for the period I will not be around. They have been given a format to follow,so that each time The Doctor visits,they have records in their notes of what they have been doing while I was away. They also peer review when  there is no no doctor and have discussions among themselves from time to time,this will help in discussing difficult cases and help them learn from each other and give mutual support and encouragement.   Dr Lawrence Oghumu                                                                              Jan 31st 2005

 

	Post-op cataract patient attending the camp, only this time independant and with obvious confidence.
	Health Care Workers checking blood pressures during the community visit. Opportunistic screening is both helpful to catch the patient who may not otherwise attend, and to understand the prevalence of Hypertension which is widespread in the Delta and a major risk factor for Strokes. The problem is both how to educate the patient of this risk when they feel otherwise well and the question oflong term medication, which for the majority is financially out of reach. The cost to the family of a severe stoke  however is arguably even higher, given productivity lost, and the physical and emotional consequences.
	A child with congenital hydrocephalus, a condition where the fluid surrounding the brain is excessive and is not drained , thus accumalating. This can not only result in seizures or developmental problems, but is often fatal before school age. Treatment is possible, but requires neurosurgical intervention to place a shunt to drain the cerebrospinal fluid into the abdomen. This sadly will not be realistic option for this little child.