DFO

I was very excited to join the American surgeon, Jon, on surgical rounds and call today. It would be my first time on the wards at Kamuzu Central Hospital. I planned to round on the surgery patients in the morning, then join Jon in the OR (called the operating theatre, here) for any emergency cases.

First, Jon gave me a tour of the wards. I had never seen a hospital in a developing country, and KHC was basically what I expected. There are about forty beds in a room, and a family member accompanies each patient to provide basic care and food. The beds look dirty, the patients look sad, and flies are everywhere. Today, the wards were all but deserted, and families gathered in the central, open-air courtyard to enjoy the clear, dry morning.

The first patient we saw on rounds had an infection on his leg and was waiting for a skin graft. Elective cases are only scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so he might wait a few more days. Jon encouraged him to try to walk, or even move his legs while in bed; no physical therapist would come daily here to help him maintain his strength. The second patient had been burned on his leg in 1999, and his wound never fully healed. In the States, a complicated surgery might spare his limb, but here he was scheduled for amputation. I had seen some dirty wounds on my surgery rotation, but nothing compared to the smell coming from this fellow's gangrenous leg...

I felt a little dizzy, and the next thing I knew, I was being carried down the hall. I had passed out. I have a nice bump on my head and I broke my nose, but Jon cracked it back into place.

What an introduction.