Politicians, Bishops and Criminals

Well into our third week and we've started to get involved! Heidi ventured through the doors of theatre flushed from the heat with a smile on her face, and emerged pale sporting a sickly grin. They have basic anaesthetics here and the patient has the habit of wriggling during the operation. To limit this they are strapped to the operating table in a crucifix position (perhaps in the hope for some divine intervention as well) and the drugs topped up if the wriggling gets too much. The medical wards were, on the other hand, a more sedate affair. I am working as a consultant here and do rounds with my junior team. The problems are largely infective in nature- malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea, AIDS, viral hepatitis, meningitis- but also many more familiar problems such as decompensated liver disease and stroke. Not a specialist in infectious disease I am spending most of my evenings studying tropical medicine text books. The management of patients is difficult as most have no basic observations performed and drugs are slow to be administered. Anyhow, we are here to try and improve things so let's see where we go from here.




The above is a photo from Sunday's church service. It was at the main catholic cathedral and there were A LOT of people there. With good reason. There was a new Bishop being made in South Sudan and a gang from the Vatican had cruised over to perform the ceremony. We arrived too late (45 minutes prior to kick off) to get into the packed church after our motorbikes took us to the wrong place! We did get to see the President of Southern Sudan stroll into church about 5 meters away from us, though we was too scared to whip out the camera given the multitude of heavy artillery pointing out from his crew.


Bull bars South Sudan style.

TV selling, South Sudan style

The photo above is taken with the White Nile in the background. On the left as you look at the picture is Father Joseph and on the right Dr Charles. They took us out to the band last week and joined us for beers on the river on Sunday. More about them in future blogs!


A picture of the huts outside our compound as described in the opening blog. To be fair this is not representative of the rest of town. Though there are collections of huts such as these much of the rest of the town is either NGO compounds in the centre with government buildings and locals accommodation further out. These consist of mud brick houses and create the image of Juba as a large African town rather than a capital city.

Our home. Very nice by Sudan standards in a compound with many others like it. We were returning from a stroll on Saturday when we rumbled a cheeky thief coming out of our room! He was well dressed with a Blackberry phone (I initially hoped he had been leaving gifts after viewing his smart attire) but no, he (and maybe a chum) had rummaged through all our bags, after using a universal key and screwdriver to break in! Fortunately we had disturbed him so nothing was taken and the scoundrel was apprehended by security. What followed I was not party to as he was taken to a locked office to be taught a lesson (and I don't think he was doing lines) and then the police were called. As the manager told me- This is Africa James.


And who'd have thunk it ai? Buried in the Government hospital in the centre of Juba and who should stroll in but John Mann MP, Baron David Chidgey, Baroness Glenys Kinnock and John Montagu The Earl of Sandwich on a cross parliamentary group visit to the country. They were looking round the hospital, maternity services in particular. The biggest surprise, however, was that Mr Chidgey had actually been under my care in Southampton General Hospital back in 2008! We recognised each other from the ward!


And yes, we have a motor! Lent to us by the hospital after our lifts in were getting later and later! The mud roads are so heavily pot holed that you drive slow- but I can't wait for the rains as the roads must turn into lakes. We shall see....
Anyway, enough writing. Next update in a week I'll wager- with a little more from the hospital and what we hope to achieve in the upcoming months! Over and out.