Day 2

I spent another day in Peds which began by going on rounds with nurses and handing out and mixing together different medications for the patients. The most popular being paracetemol, to help reduce fever and pain in malaria patients, septrin for pneumonia, cephtriaxone, an antibiotic and quinine for malaria. All of these drugs and more  were mixed using the same measuring spoon and put in dirty cups.

I then went on rounds with the doctors where I learned about severe Malaria, pneumonia and gastroenteritis, the three most popular diseases seen in Kenya. Among these regulars, I also saw a child that had been bitten by a buffalo and had a huge chunk of his leg missing. The skin was so incredibly raw, and muscle was definitely visible. 

One of the most heart wrenching diseases to see is malnutrition. The size of these patients head and the visibility of their bones is striking and the elasticity of their skin is insane. One boy, the youngest of 6, was brought in by his father who had to support two families due to divorce. He was therefore unable to provide. This raises the question of reproduction and why these families continue to give birth even when they know that they will not be able to provide. 

Another large problem is blood availability. There was a 6month old baby girl who was extremely anemic and was unable to get a transfusion because there was no blood available of her type. I went with the doctor to look in the blood lab and there was a mere 6 bags of blood, not nearly enough for any major surgeries. 

To further demonstrate the lack of supplies here, doctors use their cell phones as flash lights to examine throats, noses, and ears. 

Again, I tested patients for HIV and just like yesterday, all were luckily negative.