Hospital and clinic visits

Hi, from Myanmar. This picture doesn't belong here--taken the week before near the end of a long day. That's another blog entry--someday.

Last Thursday we traveled out of Yangon about an hour to visit a hospital and several clinics where LDSC had donated the funds to help bring clean water available to the hospital and clinics. Water tanks had been prepared and a pump installed to pump water to sites in the hospital. Getting permission to visit hospitals is required first and Dr. Win (who is just ahead of Dad in this picture) does all the preparation work for our visits. Here we were walking out to inspect the pump.

Jayne Jones and I and a divisional health official got to cut the ribbon to formally donate the pump that's behind us. Nurses all wear white tops and red longgi's and caps.

As we walked out to the water pump we passed a men's ward so I quickly snapped a picture. The rooms were clean but very basic. Families are responsible for their food and much of their care.

After the hospital visit we went to a free clinic were more than 50 people were waiting to see the doctor--he's standing in front. We learned that he donates his time 5 days a week free of charge and then works at his private clinic in the evenings to take care of his family.

Inside the clinic we saw this young man who seemed quite sick. I'm sure he was wishing we would all go away. Instead we were invited upstairs where we were served several dishes, one of them called "mohinga" which is the favorite dish of most Myanmar people. It's a kind of soup with rice noodles with a fish stock. I thought it was OK and was glad to find out what so many have said is their favorite food.

Then we went to another clinic where the delivery room in the background was being used to prepare some dishes to serve us. These children were helping as they had all come into the village to register for their school which started the next day, June 1. All school children and teachers wear white tops and green longji or pants for young children.

This man serves as a medical assistant for a township--I guess our equivilant would be a physician's assistant. Much of his work is going to the homes of those who are sick rather than their coming to him.

This is a delivery room at a clinic. Again, most babies are delivered at home by a midwife, but if there might be difficulties, they come to the clinic or if the problems are serious, sent into a hospital. Clean room, but very basic.

This is a midwife, age 28, who delivers most babies in the homes of the villagers. She is assigned to this job, had been there three years. If she wanted to transfer, she would have to learn of a vacancy and then apply and receive approval to move.

Health care is quite basic here, definitely third world. We have visited an eye hospital where LDSC charities had arranged for the donation of a machine that could identify glaucoma or tumor problems. The printer for the machine only worked a short while, and they said they had no money to replace it. They didn't know if the machine was defective or the surges that occur in the electric power had damaged it.

I'm hoping I don't have to need a hospital in the next nine months!! Appreciate your health care.