The man with the femur fx and blood clot has and xray that shows he definitely needs a red placed inside the fx to get it to heal as the bones are not in contact, but he still wants the traditional healer to take care of it.
Be sure to check this blog: www.marybeth0.blogspot.com It tells alot about what I experienced lately at Mashiah and Yankari. Fatima is really sick, but getting better and I met Peter the economics major and he told me his story-----shows alot of courage on his part. I worshipped Sun in the burned church.They will need to build a new church and it will be expensive, but they are such people of hope. I found that Lutheran Nigerians (women) can strut down the aisle to give their offering just as classy and rock with the beat just as good as the Baptist Nigerian women. Somehow I can't picture Zion's women doing that!
About 50 Christian churches were burned in Jos and 20 small house-type mosques were burned in the riot last Nov. Christian and Muslim leaders are talking frequently about trying to live in peace , but some don't agree to it. One Christian leader feels it just isn't Alkaida-sp? who advocates war on the infidels, but that many Muslims feel they gain a reward in heaven by killing or harming Christians. Northern Nigeria , a Muslim stronghold, is known for persecuting any Christian who prosetylizes there. Sharia law is the standard there, but not often enforced.
I'm sure there are 2 sides to the issue. Unfortunately, it won't be easy to resolve the conflict easily.
Mary Beth's blog has nice pictures of Yankari. I went Sat. with 4 interns from Evangel Hosp. I thought older docs were going but they couldn't make it at the last minute. I sponsored or paid for 90% of the cost as it turned out as there was some miscommunication----not unusual in a foreign country even though they speak English. I also got an introduction to "Nigerian time", as we were to leave at 6:30 am, but no one was there at that time. I had to wake up the driver and then all the excuses came in grad. that so and so wasn't coming. Then one by one another intern wanted to go but "had to tidy up" first. We didn't leave till 8:20. The driver drove at 140 km or 90 mph in a somewhat dilapidated peugot with the windows wide open bec of the intense heat. It was too noisy to talk. We had a 1.5 hr safari and 1 hr at the Wikki hot springs and then had to leave. The Wikki springs are really an oasis in the desert and were as beautiful as in Mary Beth's blog. Quite the adventure!
My days are varied. Yesterday I was just exhausted at 2pm when we finally finished seeing the inpts. I think it is the heat and the struggle to understand their English. They talk very softly also. The most frustrating aspect thought is just getting orders followed and tests done and getting all the information from the pts to make a dx. Since most of the pts speak Hausa and are not educated and can't read and write , you don't get clear answers to your questions. One intern just laughed at me as I repeatedly kept trying to get just a simple answer ie. yes or no to a question. She said they will never give a yes or no answer, but tell much other non impt. information----OH how nice it would be to be a veterinarin?
Take care,
Will