Life at the Hospital

Meet the team. L to R: Bryce Nattier, Dena, Yannick, Sweni, me, Josh Paulick

Bryce and Josh are the two long term surgeons here at Hospital of Hope. Dena is part of a Global Surgery Fellowship. She had been in Rwanda, when the ORs were closed at her hospital due to disruption of the supply chain, she moved to Congo. When the government in Congo swept in and bordered up the hospital, she and her husband evacuated here to Togo. She arrived at HoH approximately 2 weeks before I did. Yannick is one of the first year residents arrived from the DRC and started Jan 1st at HoH. Sweni is the other first year resident arrived from Cameroon also started Jan 1st.

This weekend everyone but myself is heading to Kara (a city 2hrs away) to participate in a spiritual retreat. I guess 4 weeks has to be enough to be ready to leave the surgical needs of the hospital in my hands. No other option. I'm not nervous. Yet.

There is a visiting general surgeon from Atlanta, Georgia here for the week. Therefore, I am thankful that I will not be alone despite my whole team leaving. Work is so much more fun when you get to share it with someone!

This is the emergency portion of the hospital. This area is referred to as Réa, short for réanimation. Reanimation, a word by definition used interchangeably with resuscitation in French, however there is only one acceptable example of resuscitation here, and that is the resuscitation of Jesus, and therefore our ER is Réa

Sweni and I performing open reduction and definitive fixation of a non-union humerus fracture. In other words, the patient broke his upper arm bone a few years ago. We cleaned and freshened the two ends of the fracture and then put a nail down through the center of the bone to allow the fracture to finally heal straight and together once again.

Came upon two children playing in the hallway outside the ORs as I was leaving one evening.

My view while finishing up some charting for my patients. Family members bring their mats and usually sleep on the floors beside the bed of their loved one who is hospitalized. Walking through the wards is, at best, an obstacle course on good days, but if you bring the dressing cart along there's at least three shoes that get run over, two bedpans kicked, and five family members scurrying to get out of the way. For the above picture the women's ward only barely has room for five patient beds, so this lady and her daughter have found space outside the ward to lie down and have a rest.

Leaving the hospital for the evening after finishing up clinic for the day.

Much Love.