Village health - no cholera, no obesity, healthy babies - but need for basic, ongoing primary care.
November 22
We tackle another long walk though countryside, along the beach and across a backwater by boat to the isolated village of Guiotin. We see rice fields, cattle, pigs, goats and fishing. As we arrive, the villagebyways are being swept clean ahead of us. Again the church is the ideal venue – cool and large - for the pediatric clinic for today. A pregnant lady carefully folds and stores the church’s linens so the tables can be used for the pharmacy. I spend hours standing – controlling the line ups and traffic flow, helping to weigh and measure children, holding some newborns offered to me by amused mothers.
My back is giving out but I figure if a Haitian mother can stand in the sun for hours with new one in arms and two or three toddlers clinging patiently to her skirts, I can suck it up. Occasionally there is a squabble over position in line and the men translators try to mediate. But for the most part the mothers are very patient, collaborative and cooperative. The children are dressed as if for church and delight in the social opportunity. Even the small infant girls have pierced ears; all have bows and barrettes adorning their hair. The boys run around in school uniforms and polished shoes proudly brandishing their vitamin bottles and medications – almost forgetting the terror at the vaccination station. 96 patients is the total for this good day.
The next day, a dusty half hour drive takes us through the Bas Limbe area to the large town of Tittoit. There is time on the way to appreciate how green and lush the mountainous north is compared to many parts of the country. The view from the village square, dominated by a beautiful Catholic church, is spectacular. The clinic is set up in a large public health building with lots of rooms for our different stations. 80 mothers with children have registered; the day runs smoothly and 101 are actually seen and treated. Atnight the team debriefs while the day’s events are still fresh. Some of the issues are about making sure the vaccination program doesn’t overlap with government initiatives and how to attract more patients under 5. A prenatalclinic for the same town is planned for the next day.
