The first 'self-referred' patient came into the mini-clinic this weekend. Martin, an expat working 30km North of the field, had cut his fingers. Nothing too serious by 'western standards' but enough to have him concerned to get it clean and dressed properly. Driving to the mini-clinic at Kpong meant passing three or four hospitals, but he insisted on coming to Kpong.
When he arrived and we unwrapped his hand the wounds looked fairly minor, but one slice was a little on the deep side. The atmosphere here is rather dusty and particle filled. So, the first task was to wash his whole hand, clean the wound sites, irrigating out the debris and then to dress them, using suitable resources from the well equipped stores we have developped. It is a challenge to find somebody with the knowledge and experience in simple, non-life threatening, wound cleaning and dressing here, and this event is a clear sign that the mini-clinic is in the right place, at the right time. In many countries a colleague at work or a family member would have been able to dress a simple wound like this.... yet here, that skill is not yet developed and is part of our target development in the rural areas, where access to a clinic is not an option.
The assistants for the treatment were Lydia (an old hand at wounds!) and Beatrice (a new starter from Kete Krachi). They were thrilled to be able to help Martin, who has helped them both in the past. With his hand dressed and a big smile on his face, Martin went back to work. Meanwhile, Lydia started to explain the purposes of each item in the cupboards at the mini-clinic... a wonderful sight of peer-education at its best!
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