While taking inventory the week before, I had noticed that there are many patients, or family members of patients, who do laundry here at the hospital. After they hand wash each piece of clothing, they are left to hang dry on clotheslines around the hospital. These clotheslines seemed very old, and many wires were missing from the area. Since laundry is done everyday here and there is a large amount of patients at the hospital, I thought it might be beneficial for the hospital if we organize and replace some wires on the lines.
After talking it over as a team, we thought it was best to run our idea by administration before we started any small projects. William, the director of administration, was very open to the idea and encouraged us to pursue it. But that was not our only topic of conversation.
The three of us had another idea that popped up while taking inventory. We wanted to help renovate an old and abandoned building in the hospital. William was also thrilled about this idea and asked what we would be able to do. We gave him some examples such as cleaning the space out, painting some walls, and fixing any electrical components. Thinking it over, I suggested that we talk more in detail after we finished the clothesline project.
During a short break, I went out and talked to the Physical Therapist, Dr. Maurice, and asked him about a machine he wanted us to look at. The machine was a muscle stimulator, also called an electrotherapy machine, and it was missing a memory card. The device would turn on but would not execute any commands whatsoever. I assumed that there were important files on the memory card that were needed to allow that machine to run. I took it back to the shop and started doing some research.
Time has passed and it was very difficult to find any information on the specific make and model of the electrotherapy machine, so we took a break and went to lunch. Once we ate, we set out to find wire for our clothesline project (now that we had the go ahead from administration). We returned to the hospital with 10 kilograms worth of wire.
So the rest of that afternoon Jean Claude, Katie, Megan, and I spent our time do maintenance on two suction machines, two ESUs, an autoclave, two anesthesia machines, a floor cleaner, a patient monitor, and we labeled all of them for the next check up. We sat outside of the surgery theater and we were stared at the entire time by the patients right outside the door waiting in line. At this point we are used to the looks. But thankfully, the patients were very good at giving us the space we needed to work.
That day, two GE employees came into our workshop and were looking at the equipment either made or donated by their company. It was nice to know that some companies do more than just donate. We were able to talk to them and ask a few questions their jobs. They seemed to be checking on all of their equipment and asking if there is a need for spare parts. As they were about to leave, they gave Jean Claude a number that he could call in case there were ever any problems.
Following that encounter we went to lunch. When we returned, we made some progress on the drill then had an interview with Dr. Francois! He was very kind and informative throughout our conversation. He works as a general practitioner who mainly does major and minor surgeries. He discussed the growing need for patient monitors, anesthesia machines, and ultrasound machines. And as expected in a developing country, there is not enough staff to service the large numbers of patients. On the bright side, he did talk about how fond he was about his team in the surgery department, administration, and the way the hospital was run. To thank him for his time, we invited him out for beers after work, an invitation he kindly accepted.
Once the interview was finished, Katie and I went to maternity to take a look at an anesthesia machine that Dr. Judith, the anesthesia department head, requested we check. The machine was not supplying the patients with enough oxygen. After looking into its components and reading the manual, we deduced that the problem could be with the ventilator. Because it was their only anesthesia machine at the moment, Katie and I decided consult with Jean Claude before implementing any sort of changes to the machine. With Jean Claude nowhere in site, we decided to get to work on the clotheslines before the day was over.
Katie, Megan, and I added six wires to the set and organized a different section to maximize availability of the wires. While we were working, numerous women passing by with huge smiles on their faces thanked us for what we were doing. I can imagine that women in this culture might be surprised at the sight of younger women doing a “man’s job”. I took pride in the fact that I might be showing them that women can do anything, even a job that may not be for them. It didn’t matter that what we were doing was not saving lives, because I could feel that it was impacting people in another form. It was one of the most rewarding things that I feel we have done in our time at the hospital.
Jean Claude does a great job making sure that preventative maintenance is done. However, while doing preventative maintenance, the only items available to clean are torn up old t-shirts for rags and glass cleaner. These are not the most sanitary options. It is extremely unfortunate that this is the case. But after looking around town, we noticed that disinfectants are not readily available.
As I mentioned in a past blog post, the Rwandan people take pride in the way they are perceived by others. And the appearance of the hospital is no exception. If painting the Pharmacy, a worn-out looking building, will help restore a small sense of pride in the staff of the hospital, then I am more than willing to make that happen.
At the conclusion of the meeting, we set out to join Jean Claude in cleaning two more incubators, taking up another three hours of our day. The lunch break came and went and I focused my attention on the Electrotherapy machine form Physical therapy. I contacted the manufacture and sent an email requesting the files needed to be inserted in a new memory card to help operate the device.
We finished of Thursday by planning a trip to the hardware store to by paint on Friday morning. We created a list of supplies and paint colors to buy. These items would be our donation to the hospital, and William was making sure that we were getting the most out of the money we are spending.
Friday morning Katie, Megan, and I obtained signatures from administration making our purchases and donations official. We traveled to the store in town with Boaz, another employee in maintenance. Boaz helped us buy the supplies, packed them in our hospital truck, and deliver them to the maintenance room where they would stay until Monday when the fun begins! Our last job for the day was to place a label with directions on which way to turn the knob of the autoclave door we fixed the day before and we were free to go.
Our weekend plans included a trip to Butare, the old capitol of the country. And on Saturday morning, Katie and I planned to make a pilgrimage to Kibeho, the small village where the Virgin Mary appeared to three visionaries.
I hope that with my story I am able to show anyone and everyone that you, as an individual, really can help change the world. But don’t wait until you are in a foreign country. Make your own community a better place in any way you can. Pick up trash. Serve in a soup kitchen. Help tutor a struggling student. Or just smile at someone who seems to be having a rough day. It makes a difference.
To all those who want to make a difference, thank you.