Update on the Sick Child

One of our staff nurses was able to check on the little girl who I referred to the hospital yesterday. She was admitted and a full workup had been started at the time he checked in on her. The admitting diagnosis was a cardiac problem versus severe malnourishment. It seemed they were really suspecting the problem to be severe malnourishment. It makes me wonder what the other four children in the home look like…. But I am truly thankful that this one was able to get the help that was needed.

These kinds of cases break my heart. I truly believe that the mom did not have money. But some of my Kenyan colleagues are concerned that if people think I’m really soft they will come in trying to get free services when they really can afford to pay. It is a difficult dilemma. The clinic is partially funded by the government and the staff salaries are raised by ELI. But the majority of medicines and treatment supplies are not. When we get donations it is great; but often we have to purchase our supplies. So we rely on the client’s payments for services to be able to replenish our stock and pay the electric bill. I always imagined that when I practiced overseas there would be no fee for services. Boy was I clueless!

Please pray for wisdom for our entire staff as we encounter situations like this. I truly hate them! But I understand and can appreciate the reasons for requiring payment. We also find that people are more responsible on following through with the medical plan/prescriptions when they invest something in the care themselves. Ah the joys of rural African healthcare!!! In fact right now I had planned to be at work in the Training Center office. But I’m still at the clinic. I have a patient I’ve been following since Nov. She is a specialty case and I want to see her myself. She was supposed to be here a few hours ago. But I just got another phone call “Michelle I promise I am on my way!! Please don’t go!” Since she comes quite a distance I’ll sit here and wait. But she has been a great patient and an encouragement to me. I’ll try to get some pictures of her today so I can share her story with you in the future.