Godfrey, Jen (a PA student from Colorado), and I went to go visit one of our TB patients out in Kyabirra. It was another typical day in rural medicine. We left Soft Power and stopped at the Buwenge Health Clinic to get our patient’s isoniazid & ethambutol medications for the next month; however, the doctor with the only key to get the drugs was not there and could not be reached. So…we waited around for an hour until he came back; he gave us the drugs and we were on our way. However, it turned out we only received 2 weeks worth of medications, so long story short, we stopped at two more health clinics along the way and finally got our hands on another set of isoniazid & ethambutol. In other words, our hour-long drive to reach our patient in his village took about 3 hours overall (it was only a minor trek to find him once we got to Kyabirra). Jen and I kept joking that we were having our Paul Farmer adventures for the day, but this was definitely the mini version, so maybe next time. Time is a funny idea here in Uganda. I have learned to put my anal-retentiveness aside and just settle with Ugandan time, where you just “go with the flow of the Nile” and add an hour or two until things actually happen. Jen and I were laughing pretty hard during the trip out to Kyabirra yesterday; it is always an adventure. Or maybe it was last week at Lugani Secondary School with a line of students out the door waiting to be tested for HIV; we had limited daylight left, no more clean syringes for 44 more students, and best of all, a matatu without functioning headlights (just a minor detail that would have helped if we knew beforehand). I thought it was funny about the headlights, but a few people did not seem to agree with me.
The good news is that all the students have been negative for HIV! I have been somewhat surprised, yet relieved; most of these kids fall under the categories of populations with increasing rates of HIV: sub-Saharan Africa, youth between 15-24 years, and rural areas with limited access to health care.
I have been enjoying all the fun mishaps that keep piling together the more I work here in Uganda. I am sure there are more to come.
