Bethesda Medical Clinic (BMC)

This week I've been working flat out in the clinic. I've been with Dr Gary (who is in charge of the AIDS clinic) and Miss Betsy and Miss Loude who are the counsellors for the AIDS clinic. It works like this - the doctors ask everyone they think is at risk if they will go for an HIV test (which is pretty much everyone) and they can choose to opt out which some people do, so everyone who gets sent for an HIV test has to be pre counselled and post counselled regardless of the test outcome. Miss Betsy and Miss Loude have the perfect opportunity to speak to people about Christ as many people think there is no point in life if they test positive for HIV and they have led so many people to the Lord that way. The AIDS programme involves ALOT of paper work, each new patient is registered and there are seven types of forms that have to be filled in 3 of which have to be filled in every time they visit which is about once a month. There is no computer system at the clinic so everything is done by hand which is a huge hassle and means alot more work, but the staff plods right on through all that paper work. So when someone is diagnosed with AIDS they get put in the programme and alot of their medication, food and transport (especially when they aren't well enough to get themselves to the clinic etc) is all paid for. Their progress and associated symptoms are all monitored and dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible therefore prolonging the life of many many people.

Also this week I've been doing alot of consulting with Dr Gavin and Dr Rodney which has been really good experience and I'm finding I'm starting to understand alot more Creole - I still have a very long way to go, but Dr Rodney (a Haitian doctor) who is great craic, announced to me yesterday that he was going to stop speaking English to me!! And today he kept his word so I’ve been having to try and speak and learn more and more Creole! Last night I sat down to try and learn some more and realised that my English was hardly good enough to start and try and learn another language! So please pray that I'll pick it up and be able to speak it better!

Today I helped out in the well baby clinic too which was so much fun the Haitian babies are sooo cute! (nothing on Ben and Ryan though lol) and pretty much the mums get given alot of education and then the babies weights and temps are checked (which i was doing) and then recorded on their charts and then all this information has to go into a record book where we have to work out (based on their age in months and weight) whether they are normal, underweight or malnourished - today we had 3 malnourished babies, which is a bit abnormal due to the effectiveness of the well baby clinic. I also had to do alot of this working out and putting the information into the record book, here's hoping they can read my hand writing!! Plus the name aren't good old norn irish names so I struggled spelling them and pronouncing them when I had to call a baby to be weighed, a few times I called a name and the whole room just burst out laughing! Great for a girls self confidence!! lol.

I just want to ask you to pray for one wee girl (she’s about 3 and a half weeks old)who has a haematoma ( a bleed in her brain) these are common enough at birth and usually go away after 2/3 weeks but this one is pretty big and she had a big bump on her head where the blood was gathering, we had to refer her onto the hospital for surgery - which is a big deal here, well anywhere is the world for a baby so small and young!

Thanks again for all your prayers, posts, emails and texts they're so encouraging!! Miss you all lots and lots like jelly tots!!! Kisses!! Laura xoxo