Our compound cleaner & family

My zoot suit (knitted by friends in Oberon NSW)

Traction Sudan-style (patient who was attacked by hyena)

Wednesday 21st September

The temperature during the day is terrible, about 40C and high humidity. Last night it was 30C when we went to bed, not had it this hot before.

It is busy now I have started the teaching. My first class is in 10 minutes time at 8am, was teaching till 6pm last night. Then dinner, then bed, no time to blog! Their first exam on First Aid is next Tuesday, so am busy setting papers, and scenarios.

The next morning after the peace agreement was signed, a young woman was walking from her village about 10ks away to come to the ante-natal clinic here at the hospital. Her baby was due in the next few weeks. On the way she met two men, one a soldier. She was beaten with large sticks and left for dead. Luckily a group of women were not too far behind her and carried her to the hospital.

Her back was very badly beaten; she had two large lacerations across her head. She had lost quite a lot of blood and her right arm was lacerated.
She was very quickly stitched up by one of our very experienced nurses and the baby was checked out. All was well. The next day she was delivered of a beautiful little boy, 3 weeks prem but doing well.

I know if I was at home I would be reading every day of people being bashed and shot, and we seem remote from it normally. But somehow here, everyone seems to know each other and the staff find it very hard because it is always someone’s relation that is brought in.

No one seems to know who did it; I don’t think it will even get reported, it was to a woman after all.

Now I need a big hug myself. I’ve just been working on a small baby boy for about an hour. I was doing the cardiac massage and we got him going for about 5 mins then cardiac arrest.
We all did our best, I know, but the poor parents, they had travelled a long way with him.
Look after our babies….