Power Up Gambia Blog

I’ve had some time to look around the hospital campus and there have been some exciting improvements. All of the main hospital buildings have received a fresh coat of paint, covering up the wear and tear of the last rainy season. The hospital’s field has been plowed and planted to supply food for the canteen. Plans to move the operating theatre to a more private location are underway; the surgical lights have already been installed. Perhaps the most exciting development is that all of the animals at the hospital have been cooped, penned, or tethered. Aside from the occasional dog, animals are no longer running through the wards. This afternoon a guinea fowl escaped from the coup and a dog chased it into our living room!  Lucy and Mike used the cushions from our two chairs to scare the bird back out. Our Gambian neighbors and several other onlookers were hysterical with laughter. After the guinea fowl was out of the house we joined in the laughter. That will teach the dumb bird (that wakes us up every morning) to stay in the coop!

The plaque is up on the wall of the solar house!

There is still much work to be done around the hospital. Most notably there are massive plumbing repairs needed. Unfortunately, the funds for these repairs will not arrive until the 2010 hospital budget has been approved. Power Up Gambia has agreed to upgrade the water storage facilities of the hospital (~$6,000) on the condition that the plumbing is first upgraded in the facility. Hopefully, this will ensure the hospital receives the necessary funds from the government and will encourage the hospital administration to make the upgrades. Everyone agrees that this is an important step.

*Lesson Learned* Old habits are hard to change. Doctors, nurses and surgeons alike prefer using water from buckets to clean their hands rather than use water from faucets. In fact, this means that one person pours the water for another – perhaps even more hygienic that touching the knob on a faucet? We, as PUG, have had to adapt our goals. Instead of aiming to having running water in all of the sinks, toilets and showers throughout the hospital (current plumbing will not allow this) our goal is to ensure that there is water in the outside taps 24 hours a day. By refocusing our energy to the more practical and perhaps more helpful goal everyone is less frustrated! Currently the water runs out around 9pm at night. The solar panels are sufficient to increase the pumping; the problem is the hospital has now outgrown the tanks.

In other news - SJGH has now grown into its intended role of being a teaching hospital. Now, with more reliable electricity combined with a qualified teaching staff, the hospital is the site for the country’s first Community-Based Medical School. Also, a three month Nurse Attendant training course has just commenced. Both of these courses would benefit from additional professors and clinical mentors, but for now, it’s clear that staff and student alike are trying their best.