I woke up earlier than usual on the Tuesday morning that started our second week of volunteering at Ruhengeri Hospital. We had plans to attend the weekly hospital staff meeting. These meetings usually start around 7:15 am and include all of the doctors, head nurses, and other leadership personnel. Our plan was to introduce ourselves to the staff, explain what we will be doing at their hospital, and mention the length of our stay. In doing this we hoped to “break the ice” and express our thanks for allowing us to work with them.
We understand that in African countries there are not many westerners who come to their countries for more than tourist attractions. With that said, we did not want any employee to be confused if they saw three young westerners walk into their department and start messing with their equipment. By going to the staff meeting we wanted to start creating relationships. With these relationships both parties could benefit greatly. Our small team of engineers could use a constant dialogue to gain the respect and trust of those around the hospital. This is extremely important when it comes to our job.
As I may have mentioned before, as a team, we want to do some digging and access some needs of the hospital. On this trip we may not be able to address every need we come across, but we may be able to inspire others around the world to innovate and design solutions to many problems our hospital may face. A key to the needs assessment process is conversing with the people who work in this environment everyday. We plan to interview as many staff members as possible to ask about how they feel their department is run and what they would like to see changed, especially in regards to the medical equipment. I kept all of these things in mind while walking into the staff meeting that morning.
Katie, Megan, and I arrived a few minuets before the start of the meeting and met two doctors who were also early birds. Dr. Francois, a young surgeon, and Dr. Jean, an experienced doctor in the emergency department, were very kind and welcoming. After exchanging information about our jobs at the hospital, they introduced us to the Doctor in charge of the meeting who would allow us to speak.
After observing the routine of the meeting that was held in three languages simultaneously, French, Kinyarwanda, and English, we were given the floor. I opened up or introduction with the Kinyarwanda word “Waramutse”, which means good morning. The entire room responded with a unanimous waramuste followed by a cloud of laughter, the usual response for a muzungu speaking their language. We finished our introduction, thanked them, and took our seats for the end of the meeting.
We understand that in African countries there are not many westerners who come to their countries for more than tourist attractions. With that said, we did not want any employee to be confused if they saw three young westerners walk into their department and start messing with their equipment. By going to the staff meeting we wanted to start creating relationships. With these relationships both parties could benefit greatly. Our small team of engineers could use a constant dialogue to gain the respect and trust of those around the hospital. This is extremely important when it comes to our job.
As I may have mentioned before, as a team, we want to do some digging and access some needs of the hospital. On this trip we may not be able to address every need we come across, but we may be able to inspire others around the world to innovate and design solutions to many problems our hospital may face. A key to the needs assessment process is conversing with the people who work in this environment everyday. We plan to interview as many staff members as possible to ask about how they feel their department is run and what they would like to see changed, especially in regards to the medical equipment. I kept all of these things in mind while walking into the staff meeting that morning.
Katie, Megan, and I arrived a few minuets before the start of the meeting and met two doctors who were also early birds. Dr. Francois, a young surgeon, and Dr. Jean, an experienced doctor in the emergency department, were very kind and welcoming. After exchanging information about our jobs at the hospital, they introduced us to the Doctor in charge of the meeting who would allow us to speak.
After observing the routine of the meeting that was held in three languages simultaneously, French, Kinyarwanda, and English, we were given the floor. I opened up or introduction with the Kinyarwanda word “Waramutse”, which means good morning. The entire room responded with a unanimous waramuste followed by a cloud of laughter, the usual response for a muzungu speaking their language. We finished our introduction, thanked them, and took our seats for the end of the meeting.
We carried on with the day by first looking over a few more oxygen concentrators then following Jean Claude back to the sanitation department to take a closer look at the autoclaves we viewed the week before. This visit focused more on trying to fix the problem. With Jean Claude’s help, we opened up the machine and started with an inspection of the different hoses and tubing to check for leaks and clogs. It was a tedious process with a few bumps along the way. But we were able to service the machine, clean things out, put them back together, and tested the autoclave. It still read some errors, but after 2 and a half hours we all took a lunch break.
The rest of that day was spent looking at even more oxygen concentrators and starting inventory of all medical equipment in the maintenance department. A doctor from the surgery ward came into the workshop while we were doing inventory and handed us a SpO2 sensor that didn’t work. It looked like going to the staff meeting helped! We were very excited! So we set off to work on it right away, but it seemed to be a little more complicated than we originally thought.
The cord to the sensor was damaged, so we were going to have to solder the wires back together. Looking at it closely we saw that it was not going to be an easy fix because of the small size and large number of the wires cut. There was tick insulation around them, and because of the function, we knew that merely soldering the wires with the tool available was going to cause a lot of extra noise in the signal. But we tried anyway.
The cord to the sensor was damaged, so we were going to have to solder the wires back together. Looking at it closely we saw that it was not going to be an easy fix because of the small size and large number of the wires cut. There was tick insulation around them, and because of the function, we knew that merely soldering the wires with the tool available was going to cause a lot of extra noise in the signal. But we tried anyway.
Jean Claude came in after a few minuets and announced we do not have work tomorrow! It was news to us, especially after we just had a four-day weekend. But apparently the moon was in a certain position, and it meant no work. Neat!
Wednesday morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chipping outside my window. Then music was playing outside my room. Our house guard/gardener, Jean Paul, was listening to music while he worked. Soon after I heard the sound of a ball being kicked around, and naturally I went out to take a look. On the dirt road right outside our gate there was a group of a five kids playing soccer with a ball made out of plastic bags. I watched for a while then said “Hano!” which means here in Kinyarwanda and they passed me the ball! I had a blast kicking the ball around and making all the locals drop their jaws at a muzungu who could play soccer (for those who don’t know, I played soccer for most of my life). When our game ended I blogged and read a book until we went out for dinner.
Wednesday morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chipping outside my window. Then music was playing outside my room. Our house guard/gardener, Jean Paul, was listening to music while he worked. Soon after I heard the sound of a ball being kicked around, and naturally I went out to take a look. On the dirt road right outside our gate there was a group of a five kids playing soccer with a ball made out of plastic bags. I watched for a while then said “Hano!” which means here in Kinyarwanda and they passed me the ball! I had a blast kicking the ball around and making all the locals drop their jaws at a muzungu who could play soccer (for those who don’t know, I played soccer for most of my life). When our game ended I blogged and read a book until we went out for dinner.
Thursday was a day dedicated to inventory. In the morning we finished up the over 100 pieces of equipment in the maintenance department, most of them waiting for spare parts, and covered all the equipment in the laboratory department after meeting the director of the lab. We looked at a patient monitor with a display fail, searched for the manual, and were able to get the display working. However, it needed a new software connection that we did not have. It was getting harder and harder to fix the equipment without the right parts.
Next on the day’s checklist was to conduct inventory in the neonatal department. We all changed into sterile scrubs and walked into rooms full of infants and the incubators and warmers that they rested in. It became clear to us that this department was one of the most overworked. There are so many births that happen weekly that without the proper amount of space and equipment, the department seems very crowded. I applaud each and every nurse and doctor at that department because no matter what problems they face, the department is organized and runs smoothly.
Next on the day’s checklist was to conduct inventory in the neonatal department. We all changed into sterile scrubs and walked into rooms full of infants and the incubators and warmers that they rested in. It became clear to us that this department was one of the most overworked. There are so many births that happen weekly that without the proper amount of space and equipment, the department seems very crowded. I applaud each and every nurse and doctor at that department because no matter what problems they face, the department is organized and runs smoothly.
Our second coordinator of the Summer Institute, Maddy Bishop-Van Horn, a graduate of Tulane University, joined us Thursday night and planned to accompany us at work the next day. That Friday, Maddy and I visited the Director of administration, William. Our visit was spent getting to know each other better and explaining more details about the work we wish to do here, asking if we could conduct interviews with the staff, and questioning him on what his thoughts were about the state the hospital was in.
Thinking back at our conversation, I was amazed at the amount of pride that the administrator had for his country and his hospital. He was very kind and open to many of the ideas we had, such as conducting interviews. He wanted to make sure that we would interview staff members that would represent his hospital in the best possible way, which included speaking with employees with good English. He recommended that I question the doctors, who had the bet reputations and the best English possible to answer our questions correctly.
William’s input on the condition of the hospital revolved around the appearance that they portrayed. He felt that they needed better infrastructure and class. I mentioned to him that as a side project, that the girls and I could possibly paint a room or building. He was completely taken back by the idea of three young women painting, but I assured him of our ability. We were still looking for ideas for a secondary project, and I thought that was a good place to start. After a few more questions, we thanked him for his time and got back to work.
Thinking back at our conversation, I was amazed at the amount of pride that the administrator had for his country and his hospital. He was very kind and open to many of the ideas we had, such as conducting interviews. He wanted to make sure that we would interview staff members that would represent his hospital in the best possible way, which included speaking with employees with good English. He recommended that I question the doctors, who had the bet reputations and the best English possible to answer our questions correctly.
William’s input on the condition of the hospital revolved around the appearance that they portrayed. He felt that they needed better infrastructure and class. I mentioned to him that as a side project, that the girls and I could possibly paint a room or building. He was completely taken back by the idea of three young women painting, but I assured him of our ability. We were still looking for ideas for a secondary project, and I thought that was a good place to start. After a few more questions, we thanked him for his time and got back to work.
Maddy helped me complete inventory in the surgery ward, ICU, and sanitation rooms while Katie and Megan completed other parts of the hospital. Soon we had finished inventory in the whole hospital, leaving us with a total of 379 pieces of equipment. I created business cards with my Rwandan phone number and email on them, printed them out at a paper shop, and covered them with tape to distribute to different personnel around the hospital. With these cards I hoped that I would be able to help doctors and nurses remember our names and contact us if there is any equipment that breaks during our stay. While I was doing that, Megan and Katie finished working on the broken SpO2 wire, and made it look beautiful!
The three-day workweek was jam packed with things to do and I was so excited to help out! It has been an absolute pleasure observing the style of the hospital and working along side professionals. Something that I find thrilling is memorizing the layout of the hospital. I feel part of the working world now that I know my way around my environment.
This week I have learned a lot and brainstormed many ways to help out the hospital. I plan to try to put my ideas into action so that I may be able to leave my mark on Ruhengeri.
Thanks again for reading!
This week I have learned a lot and brainstormed many ways to help out the hospital. I plan to try to put my ideas into action so that I may be able to leave my mark on Ruhengeri.
Thanks again for reading!