Good evening folks! I am bone tired but feeling full filled - another packed day of activity on our medical mission with many accomplishments. On Monday and Tuesday, I spent my time seeing and treating patients at the hospital out patient clinic while Jill, Nancy and the girls canvassed the country side visiting the local bars, shops and grocery stores to measure blood pressures and educate the clientele of these vistas. More than 80% of people had not just elevated blood pressures but extremely elevated blood pressures.
Meanwhile at the hospital, I was humbled and challenged as I became a family cardiologist - attending babies to nonogenarians. I had to pull out my medical school knowledge, the island has no cardiac specialist and thus I was it. I heard an interesting array of murmurs; discovered pericardial efffusions and cardiomyopathies that were unsuspected. People were waiting two to four years just to have an echocardiogram, the choice is travelling to another island and paying an astronomical sum of money.
Resources are very little and compromises have to be made as the economy is even harder here. We take many things for granted as health care providers in the US. For example, the only type of nitrate available is Nitroquick spray, Plavix is not available many times. There is no CT scanner on the island or echo machine. Everyone is so thankful and cordial for the limited services that we provided from the nurses to the ancillary staff and patient's families.
Today we broke to be part of the health fair (although I had to perform echoes intermittently throughout the day at the hospital with the portable machine we brought with us). The health fair was a tremendous success, we screened 140 people for blood pressures and filled out health assessment questionnaires. Other stations provided screening for blood sugar and BMI's. There were local healthy foods, demos and entertainment. The island's officials including the Chief Medical Officer, Assistant Governor and the Minister of Health were in attendance and recognized the team. Great fun was had by all.
We returned to the villa tired and had a meal of some grilled fish that were seasoned and dropped off by a neighbor. We also had a gift of home made Ginger Beer which was very tasty. We topped off our dinner with a sorbet we made from local grown mangoes.
Tomorrow is sure to be another interesting and challenging day, I say "Bring it on".
Dr. I Fergus Rowe
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