A 15 hour canoe ride, load shedding electricity issues, 3 day journey home, total of 741 patients and a true miracle event for a child!
Nosy Varika is on the east coast of Madagascar and is a real challenge to get to following the sinking of two ferries earlier this year. The team had to split up; with half the team travelling by plane and the other by land and water (a total of 44 hours travelling, 15 of which were on canoes with no facilities).
Once the team were all set up, they visited the Medical Inspector of Nosy Varika and the Head Doctor, who is among the MMS team as one of our surgeons. His wife and sister were also helping a lot and taking care of all the cooking for the team.
There was a broadcast on all local radio stations a week before our arrival to raise awareness. Many patients were already waiting at the hospital, some having travelled a very long way. All missions start with a religious service led by the Pastor followed by a presentation of the team and mission and a speech from the Chief Doctor of the hospital.
Load shedding caused some problems on this mission as electricity only works 9am-12pm & 4pm-10pm. To be able to work to their full potential the team hired a generator to keep everything going.
The consultations, like normal, revealed a lot of patients suffering with hypertension. Patients were also treated for coughs, sexually transmitted diseases and bladder stones. Hernias and hydroceles were operated on and there was one particular example of a 57yr old man with a testicular tumour that was removed.
Story 1 – Complications for woman following childbirth.
On our arrival there was already an urgent case waiting for us. A 32 yr old woman had a difficult labour and her baby had died in the womb. The woman was already very weak and had lost a lot of blood. The baby was successfully removed however the woman then suffered a ruptured uterus.
Our surgical team immediately prepared and operated on the woman for over 3 hours without electricity. Her uterus was removed and she then required a blood transfusion. There was no one able to give blood due to compatibility but the team were able to treat the woman with blood replacement medication. The woman was awake the next morning following the major operation and was able to eat and take short walks by the time our team went to say goodbye. Her family were very happy and grateful to the HoverAid team.
Story 2 – Child with cardiac arrest.
We operated on a 2yr old child suffering with a hernia. The operation went well however the child then suffered from a respiratory and cardiac arrest for 20 minutes. The team did everything they could to resuscitate the child, but it was looking like there would be no sign of recovery.
It was discovered the child had previously been to see a Dadarabe (a traditional ‘healer’ who many of the Madagascan people will consult and ask for approval before doing certain things). This can be a problem as Dadarabe generally do not agree with medical practices, such as surgery.
The team returned to the operating theatre with the Pastor to pray. Once the prayer was over, the child took a big gulp of air, and his heart started to beat again. The doctors were sure there would be some brain damage following such a long arrest, however the day after the team left they were updated that the child had made a great improvement and was released from hospital. This child truly is a miracle.
The journey home posed even more problems for the team as there was no canoe available, making their return journey last longer than 3 days.
STATISTICS
Medical consultation 347; Ultrasound 123; Dental extraction 198; Opthamology 33; Surgery: major 29, minor 11. Total: 741
