Physiologically, people are essentially the same no matter where you go. Yet, when I first arrived in Guyana, I was surprised at how quickly death came for many. Infections, head injuries, road accidents, malaria…they all take their toll. There is no fanfare, drama, or ceremony. The body is covered and taken away and another patient placed in the bed. Relatives grieve, but they don't seem surprised. It is as if the boundaries between life and death are much narrower. Life seems much more fragile.
As my brief time at Kijabe hospital has come to an end, I'm amazed at all that I have been able to experience over the past 4 weeks. I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived, but I found a resourceful medical center in a beautiful rural town, full of hardworking, enthusiastic and selfless individuals, with the primary goal of providing the best possible health care to the people of East Africa. The hospital is short on funding, resources and supplies when compared to American standards, but the incredible work they are able to accomplish with the little that they have is truly remarkable.
Health as a Currency for Peace: Video
Mar 24 2011
by Senator Bill Frist, M.D.
If you are a health professional, what can you do to influence global health? How can you get involved in health care around the world? What does health diplomacy mean?
This short video serves as an introduction to a lecture on health diplomacy and global health for those who currently serve in medicine in the United States. We invite you to watch and let us know what you think.
I have learned a lot from my time in Guyana. It is amazing to see how long patients will wait patiently to be seen. Crowded onto benches for hours just waiting their turn.
The "asthma room" as it is termed is one of my favorite areas of A&E. Patients magically appear there from the waiting room and are started on breathing treatments. All doctors have heard the term "all that wheezes is not asthma." So daily I would make my way through the group placed in the asthma room searching for the one who didn't have asthma but some other process. I found one elderly lady in heart failure and another baby who had a murmur and heart issue as well. Largely though the asthma room works as it gets those who need breathing treatments quickly the medicine they need. Teaching the residents at GPHC to be cautious about those other kind of wheezers was enjoyable and they will be on the lookout in the future as well.
The "asthma room" as it is termed is one of my favorite areas of A&E. Patients magically appear there from the waiting room and are started on breathing treatments. All doctors have heard the term "all that wheezes is not asthma." So daily I would make my way through the group placed in the asthma room searching for the one who didn't have asthma but some other process. I found one elderly lady in heart failure and another baby who had a murmur and heart issue as well. Largely though the asthma room works as it gets those who need breathing treatments quickly the medicine they need. Teaching the residents at GPHC to be cautious about those other kind of wheezers was enjoyable and they will be on the lookout in the future as well.
These last two weeks at Kijabe I've been working on the pediatric service. I've worked on a fabulous team in pediatrics. My main "partner in crime" is a Kenyan clinical officer who loves kids and has a tremendous fund of knowledge and experience. Between the two of us, we see all the patients every morning in preparation for team rounds, write their daily notes and orders, and see outpatient pediatric consultations and admit patients in the afternoon. Everyday we go on rounds with a short-term family practice volunteer doctor from the US with years of experience, and a brilliant Kenyan pediatrician who trained at the top national hospital in Kenya.
Senator Bill Frist, M.D. is board member of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a collection of new resources examining global health and HIV/AIDS funding in the Obama Administration’s budget plan for fiscal year 2012.
On global health, a new fact sheet breaks down the $9.8 billion in the budget request for the Administration’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), a proposed six-year, $63 billion effort to develop a comprehensive U.S. government strategy for global health. The fact sheet reviews proposed funding for the initiative, including breakouts by program area (HIV/AIDS, malaria, etc.) and by agency, including trend data where available. It also examines support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The Foundation also has updated its Global Health Budget Tracker to reflect the President’s proposed fiscal year 2012 budget; the tracker will be updated to reflect changes as Congress considers and acts on global health appropriations.
A second fact sheet examines the $28.3 billion in proposed funding for HIV/AIDS programs both within the U.S. and overseas. On the domestic side, the fact sheet breaks out support for programs that provide health care, drugs and other services to people with HIV or AIDS, as well as prevention and research funding. The global budget examines spending for HIV/AIDS through bi-lateral and multi-lateral efforts.
In addition, the Foundation has updated the relevant Kaiser Slides charts to reflect the President’s budget proposal. The charts can be downloaded for use in presentations or slide decks.
The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information and analysis on health issues.
I've spent my first 2 weeks at Kijabe Hospital working on the internal medicine team of the men's ward. Inpatient medicine at a tertiary care hospital is a quite a change of pace from rural primary care at Lwala. We have more diagnostic and treatment abilities, but also "sicker" patients. The variety in what I've seen has been tremendous – everything from the "bread and butter" medicine cases I see in the US like COPD, CHF, and diabetes but also lots of infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, TB infections in every manifestation (brain, lung, abdomen), meningitis).
Late one evening about 4 months ago, Josephine, a 31 year old Kenyan female, was riding home from a long day of work on the back of a motorcycle. An oncoming vehicle swerved directly in front of her to pass another vehicle. As the motorcycle swerved to avoid a collision she was thrown to the ground, severely fracturing her right ankle. She was taken to the hospital, where she underwent surgical repair of the ankle. Following the operation, she continued to have pain and weakness, to the point that she could not bear weight and had to walk with a crutch. After a repeat evaluation, she was referred to Kijabe Hospital, in Kijabe, Kenya, for ankle fusion.
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: Inveneo Project
Feb 21 2011
See how the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund's grant to Inveneo is empowering rural and underserved communities in Haiti with information and communications technologies.
Their grant will accelerate the development of sustainable, high-speed wireless broadband connectivity to 20 population centers in six rural regions across Haiti, which will in turn stimulate economic growth and support decentralization of the country. Inveneo works with several Haitian ISPs to deliver training programs that will prepare its partners to manage and take full responsibility for the network. Inveneo also provides training programs for Haitian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) entrepreneurs.
Visit www.ClintonBushHaitiFund.org to get involved.
See how the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund's grant to YouthBuild International, partnering with IDEJEN, will put young people back to work in Haiti and give them the skills necessary to rebuild their country.
The centers will serve at-risk youth (ages 16--28) by providing them with vocational training in construction and leadership skills for the future. The grant will also be used to provide a two-to-one match of trainees' savings contributions, support leadership training for the Build Back Better Youth Corps. The program also provides six months of follow-up support as trainees seek viable employment opportunities or pursue self-employment.
The first training center, JENKA, was built in Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake where nearly 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed. This first of 12 centers is where the project's local implementing partner IDEJEN (Haitian Out of School Livelyhood Initiative) is now recruiting staff and students.
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund money enabled YouthBuild to get construction underway quickly while other projects in Haiti have stalled due to funding delays.
Visit www.ClintonBushHaitiFund.org to get involved.