June 2016

Mike took an elderly man to the clinic the man came to the Daycare Centre asking for help, pulling up his heavily worn trouser leg he showed us a wound on his leg about 4cm in diameter and 2 cm deep heavily infected and attracting all the local flies. The clinic we visited last year opposite the centre is still open and as Mike had the experience of last year still heavily scarred on his mind it was only right that he went again.  The clinic is typical Ethiopian bureaucracy with loads of paper work and several little windows to visit.  Fortunately we did take this man to the clinic last year so we did not have to register which saved time, paperwork and a visit to one window. After the 4th window visit we got to the pharmacy but they did not have the antibiotic cream in stock so we had a trip into to a pharmacy in town then back to the centre to collect the patient and then back to the clinic.  The doctor we saw was excellent she washed his wound which appeared to get deeper the more she cleaned it.  At this stage Mike went a strange colour and took the seat that was offered.  After further cleaning, the cream was applied along with a dressing and a course of antibiotics.  The doctor explained that the infection was very serious and asked why the man had not come sooner to the clinic; he said that he could not afford to and preferred to visit the local “traditional” doctor.  Further visits were booked for that week to change the dressing, total cost approximately £3.00.