PMTCT

For this week and last I've been in a course called "Preventing Mother To Child Transmission" or more simply, PMTCT. And it has been quite a class! When the Ministry of Health first called me and invited me to come I thought it was going to be a one-day seminar. I was a bit surprised to learn that it was an 80hr course crammed into two weeks.

I have been boarding at the church guest house where the class is being held. I could write an entire blog just about my boarding experience. Maybe later when I don't have homework!

The class has covered everything from a review of midwifery (yes it is expected that everyone in the class regularly delivers babies!) to the pathophsyiology of HIV, to counseling couples when one tests positive and the other is negative, to the medications you put an exposed newborn on. I'm the only mzungu (white person) in the class. It has been a blast making friends with other health professionals from our region.

I think the best part has been the class discussions. It has been so refreshing to hear Kenyan healthcare providers verbalize things that have strongly been on my heart and mind. As an American outsider I often have to hold my tongue when I see what I would consider to be problems within the culture. But this week I heard Kenyan men and women stand up and say "Just because this is part of our culture does NOT make it right." There were a lot of stimulating conversations about how to bring about change.

Ive also got some great potentials for networking. I have a passion for women's healthcare. It drives me crazy that most women in Kenya don't know what a Pap smear is, let alone have ever had one. I have talked for the last two years about investigating the possibility of launching some sort of screening and treatment program for cervical cancer. Through the PMTCT course I have gotten some phone numbers of key individuals that may be able to give me some pointers and connect me with others who are like-minded. Hopefully something will come of it. I will keep you posted!