Thursday, March 18th- Thomazeau Clinic

We left early at 6 this morning to make our way to the remote village of Thomazeau, about 4 hrs away. Bobby forewarned us that the GCOM team which served there last month had some trouble, as they were the first to serve the people of Thomazeau and quickly ran-out of supplies... Riots ensued afterward, and they had to leave quickly. We were hoping for a more subdued experience... wishful thinking?

The scenery of the countryside on the way to the village was pleasant and refreshing break from the fumes of the city. The trek was rugged, rocky dirt roads and a small tributary to cross. I was in the back of the tap-tap again, and could only catch glimpses of the beauty surrounding us...

People were already lined-up in droves when we arrived (they must have known we were coming)... I wondered if we'd be able to see everyone that day! We set-up inside two cement and tin-roofed school rooms which were significantly hotter than outside... We were sweating like dogs! Every drop that Dave and Brad squirted in our mouths must have come out on our clothes!

Triage was outside, partially shaded by a tarp awning. Brent, Brian, Angie and Denny were as tough as nails working all day in the heat of the sun! Annaliese and I did a lot of wound care. She took marvelous care of a little boy with a bad burn on his leg, most likely from a cooking fire or hot water. We saw a lot of this among the children. Other previously small wounds had become chronic and festering due to lack of clean water and basic wound care supplies. I did a lot of teaching with these patients in proper wound care, and we sent most families home with little neosporin and bandaid kits we had prepared the night before. The crutches donated by my hospital came in handy for a woman with a larger ulcer/wound on her foot.

A whole host of pregnant women came through, far more than our previous clinics (it must be in the water)! We found quite a few mothers who could not express milk and needed formula for their babies. Yet another woman came through with a child she found in a dump area... we gave her an entire can of formula... wish we could have brought the entire grocery store shelf with us that day... there were so many needs.

We handed out hygiene kits to every family that passed through as well... greatly needed in this area were there were no signs of modern civilization for miles. Remarkably, our day ended "on-time" and we saw every person in the village without any riots breaking out!