Heidinafrica’s Blog

The day before leaving Malinyi, Dan and I went to Lugala Hospital, luckily not for medical need but to give them my extra medical supplies – vitamins, antiseptics, antibiotics and other kinds of things I needed “just in case”. Thankfully, I hadn’t used almost all of these things. They were very appreciative and our host’s eyes really lit up when I pulled out the large bottle of Iodine Antiseptic Solution (thanks Pastor Dan!)

While we were there, the matron of the hospital gave us a tour. Dan had not yet seen the hospital and it was great to get a tour from a different person’s perspective. She first showed us the offices, medical library and solar system with it’s large bank of solar batteries. These are used in order to have power in the middle of the night but only if there is need for use of the operating theater. The EWAID synod helped some in the purchase of the solar equipment. Then we went to what I find to be the more interesting parts – the children’s ward and the OB ward.

Lugala is trying hard to keep a separate children’s ward. It helps in the spread of disease, since children and adults are often carriers of different diseases. It isn’t always easy to do because they may run out of space. The day we were there, it was possible and there were about 6 children in the 3 rooms. Each room has about 6 beds. Each bed has a mosquito net, but that is about it. The children ranged from toddlers to one of the Tumaini Secondary Students. Each of the children that day had a family member present. Family must offer the food and other care – the hospital only offers the medical care, not meals or bathing or other things that we have become accustomed to getting during our hospital stays.

It seemed to me that while we were there none of these children were in severe medical trauma (read: potentially going to die.) Family members were quite calm and the children were mostly alert and resting. Of course, it is a very different culture and my perspective is from a western point-of-view and could be completely off. But, everyone was pretty matter-of-fact about it all.

Next we visited the OB ward. We stopped first at the delivery room. No one was currently in labor but there was a staff standing by just in case. They do not have actual delivery beds – just regular hospital beds – which aren’t very great for labor and delivery – but it is what they have. In this room, 3 women can be near delivery at the same time.

The best place we visited was where the new mommies and their infants stay. There were 2 sets of twins – teeny-tiny little things but very healthy looking. We were treated like visiting doctors and everyone showed us their new little ones. I congratulated everyone and most of the mommies looked pretty good. One had given birth via c-section and she looked a little more tired – but the rest were doing great. I suppose that is to be expected – those that aren’t strong enough probably don’t make it that far. There were about 7 new moms in the 2 big rooms provided for them.

An interesting side note. To deliver a baby at the hospital costs 9,000 TZ shillings – about $8 US! Of course many moms can’t afford that. If they come in to Lugala for prenatal care they can get a voucher which will pay for half of the fee, a program sponsored by the government. But, coming in is difficult due to transportation issues and being away from the farm and family responsibilities. Many women do not come in unless they are relatively near by or the pregnancy or labor is not going well. Additionally, with prenatal care they are eligible for a big discount on a mosquito net, which the WHO and TZ health agencies really encourage for use with infants and toddlers. Malaria is still at the top of the list as the cause of deaths among this age group.

A very large ward of the hospital, with somewhere between 35 and 50 beds in 4 large rooms, is the maternity ward for women awaiting labor. Woman who have at-risk pregnancies or are near term will come and stay at the hospital during the night. There were just a few in the ward when we were there but you may recall my blog about the arrival of these women late in the evening. During the day they go into town or a neighboring house set up for them. The hospital has expanded this ward over the years and taken over an office so that they can accommodate the need. Going into labor far from the hospital with no means for transportation other than walking or bike causes the death of many newborns and mothers.

The hospital is slow at this time of year – crops take precedence. Most people wait out infections or “less serious” issues during the growing season and harvest. In other words, if the limb isn’t hanging or there isn’t a great deal of blood, or you aren’t near death, you “tough it out”. To loose 2 people in the farming process (the sick person plus the person accompanying them) is too much of a hardship. It gets much busier later in the year. Unfortunately, by that time some infections have done great damage, or wounds have bad infections that have set it, or similar bad things that we all know about when you wait too long to seek needed medical attention.

In the lab they are very proud of the 3 very modern and highly-technical pieces of equipment they have. One is for some kind of blood components test but the other 2 were given by a couple of NGO’s for AIDS/HIV testing. The hospital has an established AIDS/HIV clinic including testing, counseling and treatment. Again, during the busy farming season, there are fewer clients, but it is an important part of the work of Lugala.

Our last stop was the Office for Teeth. In this small room a doctor trained in dental needs can do some care. Mostly that means pulling badly decaying or infected teeth. The tooth extractor implement that they were given many years ago is now getting very old and they hope to receive a new one. Anything specialized must be referred to Ifakara. But it helps to have some care in Malinyi.

Equipment in the entire hospital is rudimentary. Think “old school medicine”. But they do have two X-Ray machines, one given by our synod which has been broken due to a battery issue for quite awhile. The new battery has arrived from the US and is now in Arusha, making its way to the hospital. The government understands the need for the hospital in this remote area where the closest service is at least 150 kilometers away – depending on where you are coming from.. The government is helping with staff and doctors, both very needed as it is often difficult to attract well trained staff to such a small village.

Lugala Hospital is owned by the UK Diocese of the ELCT. Our companionship with our friends in Ulanga Kilombero makes a huge difference in many peoples lives.