Poverty

Poverty. That word is an intense one. I honestly can't say that I really understand poverty at all. But I do know that while I was living in the States I really had no concept of what true deep poverty really is. I still don't understand it but I'm learning a lot in a hurry. I can tell you this much, it is closely associated with hopelessness. I had a heartbreaking case in the clinic this AM.

A mother brought her four year old child in to the clinic to be treated. As she carried her daughter into the room I noticed the child's arm was just hanging down beside her. The arm twisted as the mom sat on the chair and the child did not respond at all. I immediately thought "Oh, crap! This kid is in bad shape." I know, not very professional, but it turns out I was right. After a while of working in the medical field you start develop a bit of a sixth sense that tells you when things are really not right. Last time I got that feeling the baby died a few hours later. I was getting that vibe again.

Very quickly we could see that the child was malnourished. Plus she had severe pitting edema (swelling from fluid in the tissue). It was very scary because the edema went all the way to her face. She was listless and minimally responsive. She also had something going on with her skin. It actually reminded me of patients in renal failure who have not had the dialysis they need. My colleagues and I were in agreement that she needed to go to a hospital immediately.

The single mom informed us that she did not have any money at all. Could we please treat the child so she could take her home? We had to very clearly explain that her daughter was in grave condition and needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. The mother began to weep. She told us that she had no money at all. She had no way to get to the hospital or to pay a hospital bill. She also said that she couldn't leave because her other four children would be left alone with her drunkard brother and sister. (Yes they say drunkard, not alcoholic here!)

I started working the phone trying to see what kind of help I could get for her. And I kept hitting dead ends. We finally had her sign a form agreeing that she would repay the cost of fuel later to take the ambulance to the hospital. We sent her to a government facility that we heard used to have a policy of providing free emergency treatment for children under the age of 5. We don't know for sure if that policy is even still in existence.....

It turns out that one of our staff members at the children's home is a neighbor of the woman. So she agreed to bring the children home with her for tonight. I really don't have any way of following through to find out what happened. I prayed with the crying mama right before we took her and the daughter out to the ambulance. Then I placed her in God's hands.

This situation left me shaken. I later talked with my friend Juli about the situation. She told me that often her and Allison use their personal funds in situations like this. Otherwise the child dies. It just blows my mind that this sort of thing happens. I do know that from now on I'll be carrying my wallet with me when I go to work.