Medical Treatment in Africa

After reading about a terrible mix-up of operations in the nation of Tanzania, it revived my memory when I was sick while I was in Khartoum, Sudan.

The mix-up incident in Tanzania was met with tragic. A patient (Emmanuel Mgaya) who has tumour in his head was operated on his knee. While the other guy (Emmanuel Didas) who was supposed to be operated on his knee, was given a operation on his head.

Mgaya died from late operation on his head.
Didas is now partially paralysed due to the unwanted operation on his head.
Reason: Both patients in the same hospital have the same first name.

So simple to wash their hands clean. When I had diarrhoea in Sudan the last round (a Saturday night), I had to buy medicine from a pharmacy as there are no clinics in Sudan. Even after being discharged from a hospital, you would have to buy medicine from a pharmacy instead. When you are really sick, you either admit yourself into a small or big hospital.

My diarrhoea continued on the whole Sunday. On Monday morning, my company's medical arrangement with a hospital, Fedail Hospital, arranged for a hospital medical officer to bring me to their hospital.

When it was my turn to see the doctor she enquired what happened to me.
Me: I had diarrhoea since late yesterday night but having stomach muscle cramp now.
Lady Doctor: Do you know what caused it?
Me: No idea as I ate the same food with my colleagues.
Lady Doctor: Did you take any medicine since yesterday night?
Me: Yes I did. I bought an anti-diarrhoea medicine from the pharmacy to stop the purging.
Lady Doctor: Was it effective?
Me: Yes but it seems that it had stopped all purging too effectively until I can't let go now and it's causing that pain in my stomach.
Lady Doctor: I will give you another medicine which will relieve your muscle cramp. Since you don't know what caused your diarrhoea, I need you to provide sample for me so that we could examine the cause of it.
Me: What do you mean? What sample? (I was really that naive)
Lady Doctor: Whatever you purge out later on, please get some sample of those stuff. I will provide a bottle for you.

Did I follow the doctor's instruction? Of course not. It was not the first time I had diarrhoea and where did that doctor graduate from. First time hearing that I was required to obtain my pooh so that a medical test could be conducted to determine what caused my diarrhoea. Goodness me! As if it was life threatening or an epidemic that has struck Sudan.

After taking the new medicine provided by this doctor, it did help my stomach to relieve what has been stopped by the medicine provided by the pharmacist. I rested well on Monday and went back to work on Tuesday.
Tags: Medical Treatment, Diarrhoea, Tanzania, Khartoum, Sudan, Lady Doctor