Questions #3
are the ~5 euro volunteers helping or being destructive? tough to tell if you are being facetious.
I don't know that they're being destructive, but I'm sure that their dressing skills, especially at the beginning were sub-par. I say this only because they didn't watch at all before jumping in and starting to touch multiple patients w/o changing gloves, not using new forceps for every patient, and other things of that nature. I'd imagine they're better now (I haven't spent much time watching them lately)
(update: They seem to be doing just fine and will be working at the mission for the next 6 weeks, so they'll be pros by the end)
what are the international ngos that are helping fix the infrastructure problems?
Don't know of a single NGO that is making a huge difference here, especially not in infrastructure (update: Save the Children, UNESCO, USAID, and a few other NGO's are doing good work according to Rick). The bureaucracy prevents any serious foreign investment and the only people who come in and get things done are the Chinese (6 of the last 8 major government road construction contracts) and (updated) 1 Saudi Prince (he owns ~20 companies here and was the major investor for the Sheraton and the new Theater complex). The government/state of the country is a topic for another post (coming soon) but not today.
(update: Upcoming developments announced by the US Ambassador last night - co-chair w/Ethiopian Air and United, an American Chamber of Commerce, and Ethiopia's major exports are: Coffee, flowers, fruit, leather, and frankincense)
The jazz club thursday night was fun, but I woke up sick on friday which wasn't fun (the universal joy of travelling in foreign countries). Went to the mission for a few hours before I went back to the hotel and slept the afternoon away. Got up in time for shabbat at rick's, took some meds, and felt a little better so went out there for a great evening as always. Felt better this morning and got to the mission by 8:45. Did some dressing, Rick went around to see his patients, and then we sat in the room while he saw at least 25 patients. Each patient took a little longer than three weeks ago and in general there were fewer really interesting cases and more spinal patients.
A short list of the interesting things we saw: Endocardial cushion defect, Philadelphia negative chromosome CML (but a small mutation that allows him to respond to medicine), Desmoid Tumor, Ameloblastoma, Neurofibromatosis, Klippel-Feil Syndrome, Mitral stenosis/mitral regurgitation, Aortic Stenosis/Aortic Regurgitation, the world's worst case of Ollier's Disease (as diagnosed by the leading expert), and I'm leaving a few out.
The reason I have answer the questions from the comments in new posts is because all blogspot domains are blocked from within ethiopia....I guess the government doesn't want people finding opposition party blogs.
I don't know that they're being destructive, but I'm sure that their dressing skills, especially at the beginning were sub-par. I say this only because they didn't watch at all before jumping in and starting to touch multiple patients w/o changing gloves, not using new forceps for every patient, and other things of that nature. I'd imagine they're better now (I haven't spent much time watching them lately)
(update: They seem to be doing just fine and will be working at the mission for the next 6 weeks, so they'll be pros by the end)
what are the international ngos that are helping fix the infrastructure problems?
Don't know of a single NGO that is making a huge difference here, especially not in infrastructure (update: Save the Children, UNESCO, USAID, and a few other NGO's are doing good work according to Rick). The bureaucracy prevents any serious foreign investment and the only people who come in and get things done are the Chinese (6 of the last 8 major government road construction contracts) and (updated) 1 Saudi Prince (he owns ~20 companies here and was the major investor for the Sheraton and the new Theater complex). The government/state of the country is a topic for another post (coming soon) but not today.
(update: Upcoming developments announced by the US Ambassador last night - co-chair w/Ethiopian Air and United, an American Chamber of Commerce, and Ethiopia's major exports are: Coffee, flowers, fruit, leather, and frankincense)
The jazz club thursday night was fun, but I woke up sick on friday which wasn't fun (the universal joy of travelling in foreign countries). Went to the mission for a few hours before I went back to the hotel and slept the afternoon away. Got up in time for shabbat at rick's, took some meds, and felt a little better so went out there for a great evening as always. Felt better this morning and got to the mission by 8:45. Did some dressing, Rick went around to see his patients, and then we sat in the room while he saw at least 25 patients. Each patient took a little longer than three weeks ago and in general there were fewer really interesting cases and more spinal patients.
A short list of the interesting things we saw: Endocardial cushion defect, Philadelphia negative chromosome CML (but a small mutation that allows him to respond to medicine), Desmoid Tumor, Ameloblastoma, Neurofibromatosis, Klippel-Feil Syndrome, Mitral stenosis/mitral regurgitation, Aortic Stenosis/Aortic Regurgitation, the world's worst case of Ollier's Disease (as diagnosed by the leading expert), and I'm leaving a few out.
The reason I have answer the questions from the comments in new posts is because all blogspot domains are blocked from within ethiopia....I guess the government doesn't want people finding opposition party blogs.
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