FEB-C-1
MEDICAL
MISSION TO MALAWI
- Index to Feb-C-series, “Medical
Mission to Malawi”
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Forever in Transit: From the Far Side of
the World in the East, to going to the Far Side
West: Enroute from the Philippines to Washington
and Onward through Amsterdam and Nairobi to Lilongwe,
Malawi.
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The arrival in Malawi, and introduction
to Embangweni Mission Hospital: a celebration in
honor of the visitors’ arrival and the medical director’s
departure, and a flavor of the hospital patients
on a late tour of the wards.
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First full day in Malawi at Embangweni,
one of the “CHALM” networks of all health care in
Malawi, making rounds, distributing supplies, all
after a delightful start—a run at dawn through the
rural African land- and people-scape.
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First full operating day at Embangweni begins
at 2:30 AM “rendering unto Caesar” and continues
through a very general surgery day.
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A miracle of drug availability for a very
rare case of meningitis that comes in by night;
then, my weekend starts with a long run at dawn,
preparing for the celebration and feast later in
the day for acknowledging arrivals and departure.
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Sunday at Embangweni—a day of rest and church
services, and rounding through the hospital’s less
acute units to see the results of the admissions
so far in our stay and the preparation for operations
to come.
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An operating Monday, with daily chapel,
an orthopedic sequestrectomy, a thoracic rib resection
empyema drainage, and an afternoon sortie to see
brick making in progress for the new school amphitheatre.
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Beginning the day with a run, I proceed
to a Theatre Day of urology, goiter, hydroceles,
and an elective C-section for a general surgery
tour de force.
- A morning run, and a day in ward
work, with a “swan song” C-section by a pediatrician,
returning from the heady world of surgical chief
at Embangweni to the student status of a continuing
peds resident.
- Running through the rain, on the
last day of February with a full theatre list in
the rainy season at Embangweni Hospital.
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