helen weld public health

Feb. 9, 2009
Monkeys & 'Magic'

There’s never really a dull moment here on the job in Bo, Sierra Leone. There has been an ongoing incident since January 26th involving a recently admitted patient who has been accused of creating a general disturbance on the ward as a result of performing witchcraft and black magic. (This was actually the second time in a month a patient had been accused of this sort of thing.) Many seem to be using her presence as a scapegoat for anything that goes wrong on the ward…bad dreams, fevers, stomach aches, etc. The fact that she brought a traditional healing pot with herbs to the ward upon admission seems to be proof that she is the source of the ‘black magic and the evils of witchcraft’. After many meetings and some positive interventions (counselors and priests) it seems as though we are coming through this saga having learned a lot and the situation has calmed down. The balance of maintaining peace with the nurses, respecting cultural differences and beliefs and being an advocate for the patient(s) has been challenging.

Last weekend we took a well deserved 24-hour break from Bo and went to the Tiwai Island Nature Reserve which is only about two hours from Bo. It was WONDERFUL to be on this 12 square kilometers rain forested island in the middle of the Moa River. Yellow crested hornbills were aplenty and a first for me. Hearing these large birds take flight sounded like helicopters taking off. We managed to see four species of monkeys (Dianas, Black and whites, Red colobus and Sooty mangabeys) on an AM guided forest walk which was a treat. The troops of monkeys were swinging and leaping through the tree canopy above. Their calls were remarkable too….deep throated gurgles and hollow drum sounds with clicking and chatter. Camping out and being in the ‘quiet’ of the forest was extremely rejuvenating. We all loved it. Unfortunately the pygmy hippos for which the reserve is renowned remained elusive.

Zhao has departed after her 5 week stint leaving a huge void. Everyone loved her cheerful presence and her diligence. She accomplished a lot here including teaching family planning and reproductive health to the patients and staff and also taught a class to community health officers and nursing students with Selena at the local university. She and Selena tackled the mammoth project of revamping the website which is very exciting. We hope to have it launched by the end of the month. Stay tuned.

The days seem to blur by with a variety of tasks and meetings. We are getting a bit of a simple exercise routine going for the patients (and us) to get the blood circulating and have some fun too. The women think it’s a riot and just end up in a heap of giggles. Getting them to stand apart is tricky; they much prefer to clump together in a huddle.

Darius arrives back in Bo on the 19th with 2 volunteers…Nancy from Boston an OB/GYN and Jenny an RN with OB and OR experience from Victoria, Australia. We also have a colorectal surgeon from Texas arriving during that time, followed shortly after by a team from the US to present an obstetrical and neonatal emergency care conference in Bo for health care people from all over Sierra Leone. The calendar is full! We have at least 17 patients eagerly awaiting surgery. The cheers from the ward upon Darius’s arrival will resound throughout the whole Bo Government Hospital campus. Exciting and busy times ahead…meanwhile, one of my favourite pastimes here is to just be with the women on the ward.