19.3.2009 Thursday

This week we have been in casualty. We have seen lot of people who have been in accidents or patients who are very ill and they have come to casualty with referall from local clinics. For example we have seen lot of fractures, burned babies, different kind of tumours and many other severe cases.

It`s been shocking to see this kind of patients, becouse they are very ill and most of them are suffering from horrible pain. We haven`t seen any painkillers been given to patients. We think that the most hardest thing is to see babies and children suffering.

In the morning there are lots of patients waiting for to see the doctor and more and more patients come during the day. Doctors are very effective and they handle one patient in just few minutes. Nurses do simple stitching and we also had change to try it once. All fractures will be plastered first and if it doesn`t heal properly it might be operated, so they make plenty of casts in the casualty.

Last weekend we went to reptile zoo. It was quite far from centre of Lusaka. We had to take a cab and it took almost an hour to get there, because the road was very narrow and pumpy. In the zoo there were lot of crocodiles, snakes and tortoises. Little crocs were very tiny, only half metre long and the huge one`s were at least four meters long and very fat.

Things that are better here than in Finland: We think that people here enjoy their lives and don`t take stress about little things. Zambians are also very generous, we have been invited for dinner even though many people don`t have lot of money here.

In healtcare the staff have to improvized often, because here they don`t have enough hospital equipments. For example they use every cardboard for writing something on, empty infusion bags are used as urinebags and they also make a sling using piece of infusion bag and bandage. We think it`s ekologic and economic. Recycling and reusing is thing that we could learn to do in Finland too.

Next week we are going to Malawi and when we come back to Lusaka we will tell you more about our trip to Lilongwe!

Thursday 12.3.2009

We have been here now almost for two weeks. The weather has been very warm this week. On Monday we had a day off and we went to the Swedish school with Swedes. There was a nice swimming pool and we spent whole day sunbathing there. Suprisely we also got burnt :)

On Tuesday we started practise in male medical ward. It`s almost same than female medical ward. We do lots of same things like dump dusting, bed making and TPR (temperature, pulse and respiration). We have to do everything by ourselves, because there is no other students at the moment.

If patiens` relatives dont have money to buy diapers or other equipment, they dont get them from the hospital. For example a bed-ridden-patient might be swimming in pee if the relatives don`t wash them. Nurses won`t do any basic nursing.

Medical treatment is here very diffrent than in Finland. There isn`t much drugs, and nurses can`t give any medicine like painkillers when it`s needed. For example yesterday one patient was screaming in pain and we asked if we could give him painkillers, but nurse said that they can`t give any extra painkillers (not even paracetamol) without doctors permission. Sometimes it feels fustrating that we can`t do anything for patients.

Patients are very ill here, and every day somebody dies, some days even a few. In Wednesday morning when we went to the ward there was still a body of the man who died day after in treatment room. Nobody picked the body untill midday. Here the dead bodies will be tied up and wrabbed in the sheets and treating the body is not as respectfull as it is in Finland.

Last weekend we went out with one local girl in the club nearby the hostel. The club is in medical campus and there were lot of local medical students. People there were very nice and they came to talk to us a lot. It was just nice to have a couple of beers and relax. Music was very loud and people were dancing like mad. People here drink a lot unlike we thought that they would just have few drinks and still dance a lot. It's quite funny actually because everyone is always asking whether we drink beer and have tasted the local beers Mosa and Castle yet, even a sister-in-charge in female medical ward asked if we drink beer. One beer in the bar cost about 1€, so it's much cheaper than in Finland and we like it here!:)

Here at the hostel has been lot of water breaks during this week. We don't know why, but it's bit annoying sometimes if you can't have shower or cook when you want to.

Next week we`ll go to casualty and next time we will tell about the week there!

Here we are now!

Wednesday 4.3.2009

We arrived here on Monday. The first time when we really realized that we are in Africa was when we felt the very warm breeze of wind when we stepped out the plane. There was our hostels housekeeper receiving us with the name tags at the airport. It was good to have somebody there because we were quite sure that there wouldn´t be anyone picking us up.

Then we got to the student hostel and it was quite a shock to us to find out that the hostel was in pretty bad shape and we didn’t get own rooms. So we’ll be living next three moths very closely. We are sharing the flat with the other exchange student from Sweden and Canada. Flat is in that kind of shape that we haven’t been used to for example there is no locks in toilet, only cold water is running in the showers, there are big spiders and cockroaches in the kitchen, there are no glasses in the windows in the kitchen and bath room and everything looks like it’s need some fixing. After first day we started to get use to live in the hostel and we thought that it is like living in a summer cottage, we got everything necessary but nothing extra.

On the second day we planned our schedule for practical placements. Local student took us to have a look around the school and hospital. We went through almost all wards in the hospital and it was very different from the Finnish hospitals. Everything looked very old and shappy and the wards smell like pee.

People here have been very warm and welcomed us to Zambia very friendly. Zambians are very easy-going and relax people; way of life here is totally different than Finnish busy lifestyle. Nurses don’t seem to be in hurry at all and also all other workers take their time to do their jobs.

Today we started our practical placement in female medical ward. At the beginning of the day was a morning report aside of the patient’s beds just like doctor’s round then we prayed and started dump dusting and straights sheets. They gave us one pair of gloves and we used them almost all morning. Nurses didn`t do basic nursing. Patients’ relatives help them whit washing etc. 10 to 10.30 we took a tea break. After that was a doctor’s round. Doctors were Germany and Arabian. They were very nice and they told us patients conditions and illnesses. 12.30 to 14.00 we had a lunch break. Rest of the day we measured temperatures, pulse, respiration and blood pressure.

We have tasted different foods here. Shops are quite far, so we bought food in Tuesday-market. Local people eat a lot of nsima, which is porridge type white side dish made of maize. It`s very mild tasting and it should be eating by fingers. Today Paula was eating fried caterpillars and it didn`t taste bad but not good either. Food here is different and mild tasting.

These first days have been interesting and it’s going to take some time to get use to this new culture, but have had great time so far. Next week we tell you more about our adventures in Zambia!