Hola, donde es la enfermidad?

I recently got to see what going to the doctor is like for a Gambian. My host sister Musakuta fell off a motorcycle about a month ago and at the time of the incident everyone came by to see that she was alive but no one talked about medical care in any way. At the time she didn’t seem that bad off. Her leg was swollen and sore but nothing looked broken or out of place. I like to think that I mentioned that she should go to a hospital but most people in my village only go if someone is obviously dying and everyone seemed content to keep her home and let her rest.

Time went by and her hobble slowly became a normal walk. She went to school, did chores, ran around like all the other 12 year olds.

Before the Easter Break I noticed that she missed school a couple times. I asked why and everyone said that her leg was hurting. The pain lasted and last week her ankle swelled until I would find her in the morning with tears in her eyes from the waves of pain.

Last night as I was talking with another person in my compound Musakuta went from her normal cheerful sitting self, to wincing and holding her ankle. How long would my host family wait to take her to a doctor? Since she was given to my compound but her dad still provides some things for her who’s responsibility is it to get her medical care? I asked her if I could take her to the hospital would she be game then asked her father and my host grandma. All 3 were in support. Musakuta, almost never getting to go to the “big city” of Basse was thrilled to get to go.

The morning of the trip the first thing my host dad said to me was “My car is going to the river then will come back and get you guys”. We got a ride directly to the hospital and after a quick breakfast walked around looking for where to go.

At first I was told to go to the Dressing Ward. She didn’t need a bandage but through asking multiple name tagged people I got to a area to buy a “ticket”. I had assumed there would be a line (You’d think that after a year and a half of living her I would know that buying a ticket for anything never involved a line) but instead was met with a lump of people, much like the Barra Ferry Terminal, vying for some attention from the ticket giver. I got my ticket and after another series of questioning found the line(a real line this time) and took a seat.

This line was funny because if you assigned someone to watch your ticket, and left it there, you could leave for a while. At one point I was watching the lady in front and behind me’s ticket. When a couple tried to cut in front of my the lady who’s ticket I watched came to my rescue and defended me. Any future PVC’s reading? Watch people’s spots for them, it pays off. Then an attendant came to me and told me and Musakuta to come. We basically got to skip line and go into the room with the 3 working Cuban doctors. I felt bad skipping ahead but I did it regardless.

In there a young doctor about my age looked at Musakuta as I translated. I had been worried about this part but Musakuta has always been able to understand me and it went smoothly enough. I had to take her to go get an x-ray, which I didn’t even know was an option (that’s great!), which turned out cool because I was able to show her what is in the chest because of other people’s x-rays. She was excited to see her foot bones too.

Upon return to the doctors they were able to see that it wasn’t broke. The muscles are the cause and rest, anti-inflammatories, and cold compresses would help.

Originally when I got there I was worried I would be told to go from department to department without anything getting done. I worried about the care, that they would just look at it, prescribe vitamins, and send us home. Once I got in the line I was happy with the care. It’s free(unless you get an x-ray which is $4), doesn’t take too long (even if I had waited in that line), and the doctors are pretty nice. It could be worse, there could be no hospital, or it could be terribly expensive.

Below are pictures from my odd life. The first is a picture of my 1 dalasi salad I got in Farafeni. That is about the same amount as 4 cents. Then is a sete plus that crossed on the ferry. It was rather top heavy but you see cars like that all the time over here. Next is Momalamin. He is my host brother and is always falling down and getting scrapes. I used soap, duct tape, water, and bandages to clean him up. The next is a picture at Ian's going away party. Next is a shot from the back of a sete plus. Last is a door that I saw in a renters compound in Bansang.

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