Akot Medical Mission

My grand experiment in grass control has not been a model of success. I originally chose to go with sheep over goats because sheep are more controllable. Sheep graze on grass. Goats eat everything. There were some other considerations pointing to the goats: they eat more and their meat is more desirable, at least in South Sudan. But the ability to control them tipped the scales. But then the rainy read more…

“On the road again.” I am not a huge fan of Waylon and Willie and the boys, though I do like some of their music. But today I was back on the road to Mapuordit. Rounds were getting fairly predictable. “This 22 year old patient who is 32 weeks pregnant was confirmed to have malaria and started on ACT and now is afebrile (no fever) and doing well….This 9 day old with fever was admitted with the read more…

I really handled a situation poorly today. I was mad with both of our Sudanese health care providers. Gideon Mabok had approached me about going to settle some business in Rumbek. Of course he has been several times and for the same issue and always seems to stay longer than promised and still never settles the issue. So I told him I would prefer him to go Thursday, not Monday. Then James was read more…

“It was the best possible outcome of a bad situation.” Samuel and I were talking about a patient, but the phrase seemed applicable to two situations that day. The case Samuel was referring to was one where the baby died in the womb (intrauterine fetal demise—IFD). It did not look very hopeful when she came. The mother was about 6 months along, but came to us saying she had not felt the baby move for 6 read more…

Another Sunday back at Tin-Machar Church. I had planned to go the week before, but rains made it more feasible to go with Joseah to church in Karic, so it had been several weeks since my last service under that Lulu tree. It was a beautiful day. The temperature was mild by Sudanese standards, the sky was blue, and the church was fairly crowded. It was a special service because it was the last for Joseah for read more…

I am sure that the “town vs gown” battle rages in all areas, but it is as prominent in medicine as anywhere. Academics know the literature and try to hold medicine to a higher standard. The guys in the trenches say that the recommendations from the ivory towers are often impractical and sometimes utterly foolish. I have been in both camps and can appreciate some of the concerns from both sides. read more…

A few months ago I had an early morning visitor from Samuel. It was still pitch outside and this seven footer ducked into the kitchen asking for help and it turned out well. Today the light was beginning to shine as a five footer crossed by the window. I thought it was a staff member, so I said, “Ci bak?” (Literally, “Are you up,” but in reality a standard greeting used most of the day). Raja, a truck driver read more…

As I was walking with Gabriel Amat to help him check his emails, Elijah and a family walked by heading for the wards. The child was draped over her father’s arms, but I resisted the urge to rush in and see what was going on with the child. One of the things that I thought most important when I started here was to not alienate the nurses by “taking over.” After all, for two years they ran this hospital read more…

We had a great meeting today. I am not a meetings person. My Dante’s hell is endless hours sitting around a table discussing business that no one really cares about and that we cannot resolve because several vital bites of information are missing. But today there was a group gathered out front of Joseah’s tent. There was some fluidity in the group, but some of the constants within the group were Joseah, read more…