Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Reality...




Village clinic… 6 hours… 15 patients… 1 birth… 10 cases of severe untreated hypertension… a few upper respiratory infections diagnosed as “malaria”(a common misdiagnosis) treated with strong quinine drugs… 1 case of undiagnosed congestive heart failure that was diagnosed as the flu… a lot of women with back pain after working 14-16 hour days at home making 3 meals a day over a woodfire stove, cleaning the house, and taking care of the children (maybe up to 8 of them)… also tending to the village farm, carrying buckets of water, baskets of maize, and bushels of bananas on their heads… and not complaining for a minute about their physical pain or emotional exhaustion… I think they all need a vacation in Zanzibar… that’s my vote… a vacation for all the African Mamas!

And sweet little 2 year old sister Karyn… what a doll… with a gaping wound on her leg that is finally healing, probably after an infection and subsequent treatment with the wrong antibiotic… which leads me to the point of this blog…

Medication given out like candy… improperly managed… and frightfully dosed with as many as 5-10 medications at a time… just in case it’s the common cold… just in case its malaria… just in case it’s a bacterial infection… and to top it off… let’s throw in a mix of pain-killers… take your pick… why is this okay?… a country so desperate for healthcare… they will “take” anything they can get… and where is the medication coming from?... where is it manufactured?... hmm?

The frustration is mounting… but I knew this before I came to Tanzania… but the reality, when faced with it on a daily basis is frightening… I have asked myself the same question every day for 5 months… what is the point?... does Tanzania or Africa actually benefit from foreign aid?… Is there a way to actually help through empowerment so the country can stand on its on two feet one day?... Tanzania only received its independence 40 years ago… it is very much a “developing” country… but developing toward what? 

So as a native Oregonian, from possibly the most granola, tree hugging city in North America--Portland, I admit that I am a bit of an idealist… where is the recycling?… even more so, where is the waste disposal system?… how about compostable toilets?… where is the solar power?... where is the bio-gas?... where is the “green” building?… organic farming?... good live music?... I will get off that soap box for now…

As a doctor here, it is impossible to not pay attention to everything that affects health which in turn means you learn about politics, religion, history, infrastructure, technology, business, natural resources, socioeconomics, agriculture, water, human nature, and the value of life… wherever you live on earth…

So for now, I will stop the rant and move forward with eyes and ears open to the truth… I am here to learn and see about the long-term potential to integrate natural medicine, rooted in prevention and education, in Tanzania—where there is profound need and abundant natural medicine resources...

Paving the way for the return to natural medicine in Africa and integration into an otherwise failing medical system here in Tanzania is like trying to move Mt. Kilimanjaro with a shovel… That being said, I am working on doing what I can… I can only hope my colleagues have the opportunity to experience this in the future after more groundwork is done in the village here in Moshi… I am honored to be among one of the many volunteer doctors here… and congratulate all of those in the pursuit to improve global health standards…

moja kwa moja (one by one)…

1 comment:

  1. I'm here to give my testimony how I was cured from HIV, I contacted my HIV via blade. A friend of my use blade to peel of her finger nails and drop it where she use it, so after she has left i did know what came unto me i looked at my nails, my nails were very long and I took the blade which she just used on her own nails to cut of my finger nails, as i was maintaining my names, i mistakenly injured myself. I did even bother about it, so when I got to the hospital the next week when i was ill the doctor told me that I am HIV positive, i wondered where did i got it from so i remembered how I use my friend blade to cut off my hand so i feel so sad in my heart to the extent that i don’t even know what to do, so one day i was passing through the internet i met a testimony of a lady that all talk about how she was cured by a doctor called DR Imoloa so i quickly emailed the doctor and he also replied to me and told me the requirements which i will provide and I do according to his command, he prepare a herbal medicine for me which I took. He message me the following week that i should go for a test which i did to my own surprise i found that i was HIV negative. He also have cured for all kinds of incurable diseases like: Huntington's disease, back acne, chronic kidney failure, Addison's disease, Chronic Disease, Crohn's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Fibromyalgia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Fungal Nail Disease, Paralysis, Celia Disease , Lymphoma, Major Depression, Malignant Melanoma, Mania, Melorheostosis, Meniere's Disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Dystrophy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer Disease and so many. Thanks to him once more the great doctor that cured me dr. Imoloa so you can also email him via drimolaherbalmademedicine@gmail.com or what'sapp him on +2347081986098.. God Bless you Sir.

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