Asking God to do the Doctoring...

So Tuesday was full of medicine too. After breakfast, we went to visit two of the childrens' wards in town. First we went to Russia - which is the private hospital in Kisumu. We hung out in the Michelle Obama Children's Hospital for a few hours.
We talked to four different people who sent us in four different directions to talk to four different people to try to gain access to the ward. But finally, we were directed to the doctor on duty. (Jeanna used me as the trump card - "We have an AMERICAN doctor with us who would like to meet the pediatrician on duty.")
He was on rounds with his intern and invited the group to attend rounds. The medical jargon was too much for the majority so they went to the wards to see the children. But Jeanna, Ashley, and I stayed to attend rounds. Wow! So similar and yet so very very different!!

He started with the child he was caring for - a very sick baby fighting for his life. A baby of about 2 years in shock, in a coma, fighting an overwhelming infection. A baby that without doubt would be quickly whisked to one of our ICUs was laying on a bed in the corner of a room. He had just a small tube for oxygen near his nose and an IV in his arm for antibiotics. An ICU was out of the question for this poor family - and there wasn't one in town anyway. So, he was getting antibiotics - but the doctors were struggling to determine why they weren't working. Did he need different antibiotics or were their cheap generics lacking real efficacy? This doctor told me everything he would do if he had proper equipment, proper medications, proper funding. For now, he did what he could and hoped for the best.

We made our way through the little room of sick children and learned their stories. I was suprised how much of the medicine was the same, but how limited their resources were. I feel like I work with limited resources everyday at Los Barrios...but it did not compare to what I witnessed at the hospital.

After the acute ward, we went to visit with the children and their families in the two pediatric rooms. We went around and encouraged them and prayed for them. It was an interesting experience. I found myself praying in a way I never have before. Overwhelmed with their lack of resources, I found myself praying over the physiology within their bodies. It was such an interesting and incredible integration of my faith and my medical knowledge. I prayed over septic babies that their veins would stay strong and that God would cleanse the infection from their bloodstream. I prayed for Him to help deliver life saving oxygen to all the cells of their body. I prayed healing over kidneys and glomeruli; I asked God to restore blood volumes for the anemic. I rejoiced with those that took antibiotics and healed quickly - praising God for the mysteries of medicine and healing that He has revealed to us. I prayed that God would do the work of the antibiotics that were lacking. For a sweet girl, Josephine, unconscious and severely dehydrated, I prayed restoration. I prayed that the IV fluid would restore her to good health. I prayed strength for her mother.

After a few hours at Russia, we went to the City hospital (think Parkland or LBJ x 1000!) 2-3 children per bed. Measles. Malaria. Meningitis. Pneumonia. Again we prayed for the women and children - asking for God's healing and provision.

In both places, I met kind doctors who were trying to help their patients as best they could. And we discussed our faith and the comfort that God was the Great Physician. We also discussed vaccines and prevention. It was eye opening to see nearly half of the patients suffering from diseases that we prevent in America with immunizations. And impacting to hear that the other half were suffering from malaria - that can be easily treated if caught early and even prevented with minimal measures. It gave me a glimpse into American medicine a century ago - before vaccines, before goverment efforts to eradicate malaria. It was not that long ago that we were in the same place...

Oh Father - can we say the same a century from now? Can you make that a reality? May the people of Africa only read about meningitis and pneumonia and malaria in books or hear about the rare case. May it be far from their daily lives... I pray that You would help them to that end...