Bole Bole Bole

Today was my first real day at the hospital. I went by mini bus to St. Paul’s, which is about an hour or so away. The mini buses are quite the unique experience. There is a station with dozens of buses and people yelling at you as to which bus is going where. They whip around the city like crazy but are definitely the best mode of transportation here.

Mini Bus Station 

When I got to St. Paul’s, I sat in on surgical morning report, which lasted all of 10 minutes and was impossible to understand. I think the morning reports somewhat substitute for any sort of rounds they would have here. Afterwards, I got to listen to a presentation on hand washing which is part of Karen’s project. Apparently the compliance rate at St. Paul’s is 1% before seeing the patient and 3% after seeing the patient. Compare this to Emory’s compliance rate, which is around 60%! No wonder Karen needed us to bring over so many bottles of hand sanitizer!

View from St. Paul's

Room where morning report is held

After morning report, Yanothan, a member of Karen’s team, was nice enough to introduce me to Dr. Abdulfetah who I believe is the head of OB/GYN at St. Paul’s. From there I was lead to the Pathfinder clinic which specializes in reproductive health for women infected with HIV/AIDs. This clinic already utilizes the VIA/Cryotherapy method that I am trying to implement at Black Lion, the main hospital associated with Addis Ababa University, or AAU. Apparently, Pathfinder wanted to train AAU OB/GYN’s in this method but due politics and some negative attitudes within AAU, this never came to light. So, my goal is to observe the Pathfinder clinic at St. Paul’s to recreate the same idea at Black Lion.

My first day was very informative and it is so interesting to see how things are done here. The clinic and visit itself is very chaotic and scattered. There is no emphasis on patient directed care or forming any sort of relationship with the patient. Sterilization of equipment and beds between patients is fairly bare bones. I am curious to see how the rest of the hospital is run! I have also been in contact with Dr. Engida, a surgery attending  at St. Paul’s, and I am hoping to scrub in on a few cases with him. I hear the cases you see are unbelievable and am very eager to get started!

In other news, yesterday Sandy got in touch with an Emory cardiologist who apparently funds housing for orphans and children with medical issues here in Addis. Yesterday afternoon we visited this house and were the guests of Bayelgne and the other “children” staying there. Bayelgne was taken to be a child soldier at 9 years of age after his mother died. Once free from the fighting, he met an American cardiologist who helped rehabilitate him into society and provided him with tuition for schooling. He now works with similarly situated children, such as those living in this house. Most of the children were in their teens or early 20s and finishing up school to take national exams before the summer begins. There were a total of 2 girls and 3 boys living in the house and two of the children had very significant scoliosis. Apparently, they can’t do spinal surgery in Ethiopia and have to send these children to Ghana to be operated on.

They welcomed us with a huge feast of injera, shiro, spinach with garlic, pasta, salad, and vegetables along with bottled Coke. They mix Coke with water here, which is interesting but actually pretty tasty. They also preformed a traditional coffee ceremony where they hand roast coffee beans over a fire in the house along with incense providing such an amazing smell. Part of the ceremony also involves making and eating popcorn. We sat around talking for hours about travel, marriage, children, and most of all India. Bayelgne loves India apparently. We also met a man named Million who is a travel guide and said he would help us plan a few upcoming trips we are working on to Awasa and Lalibela. Overall it was a really fun experience, and we are hoping to have them over to our house for pizza sometime in the near future!

Enjoy the pictures below!

Bole Road, the main road in Addis

Construction in Addis

My street! And donkey friends