Surpassing limitations

What is the capability of a small jungle hospital? About what it sounds like, small and jungle. The limitations are great. On top of that, the population is poor which at times is the greatest limitation. Is it ever okay to ignore those limitations? And if it is, when is it acceptable to do so?

I am noticing the greatest temptation to surpass those limitations is displayed by short-term medical volunteers. When you are used to throwing every medication and procedure at a patient and evaluating after, that's understandable. The rest of us, here for long-term duration, I don't know if it can best be described that we simply accept the limitation or rather that we are exhibiting a learned helplessness. Either way, we see those decisions to ignore the limitation follows with sequela we are not equipped to handle. Can the end justify surpassing the limitation? It's a gamble every time, and it's a human life, a soul, weighing in that balance.

She was 34, critically ill, brought by family to us because they could not pay for the ambulance all the way to San Pedro Sula six hours away. They reported that a week ago she had been in a clinic and told her kidneys were failing, but due to lack of resource, they did not seek... could not seek, intervention. And she now sat in our small emergency department lungs filling with fluid, unable to breathe, and it was only a matter of time. The decision was made to intubate. And it was done. But then what happens? We don't have dialysis to treat the actual issue. I stood with a visiting anesthesia provider and our long-term anesthesia provider discussing medical options. One wanted to start the patient on a Midazolam drip, to which I pointed out, all of the Midazolam we have available in the hospital are these few vials here. So then maybe Propofol drip, again draining the hospital supply. And so on and so forth. Jake even got roped into the discussion from an oxygen perspective. The copper piping he needs is still pending for the medical air compressor but can the oxygen concentrator be made to work with a bit of hose and hooking it up to the air compressor?

There are no answers to these questions. Only decisions and follow through with compassion. What is the capability of a small jungle hospital? It's actually quite a lot when you put people in the hospital working to love people like Jesus.

Much Love.

hoses, concentrators and compressors (not captured in the picture, the loud roar this all makes)