Livingstone General Hospital

Today we met Vanessa, the Chief Nurse Officer of Livingstone General Hospital. She took us on a 2 hour tour of the facilities. As we've often found while here, things are very different, but there are always similarities. There was a main admittance and casualty area and an emergency department. We also noticed that the occupational and physical therapy programs were similar to those we were used to in the United States. In fact, the equipment was very impressive. The occupational therapists were preparing for National Occupational Therapist Day in September by working on an assortment of art pieces to illustrate the work they do with their patients. There was a main theater (surgery or operating room) and the hospital had high and low-cost wings. The last room on the high-cost floor was very nice and was saved for "special" patients, such as the President, who are able to pay the fee (250.000 kwacha or 50 dollars). We got to visit the labor ward and labor room, however nothing was going on at the time. We did get to see a premature baby that was being taken down for an x-ray. We visited a separate building on the hospital's campus that was specifically devoted to pediatrics. In this building there was a TB ward, measles ward and a laboratory for HIV testing so they do not have to send the specimen off and can get results rapidly. Sheri was excited that there was a nutritionist on staff who creates the nutritional formulas for the infants, unfortunately she was out of the office today. There is not currently a psych ward...they are currently in the process of constructing a new one as a former patient burned the ward to the ground. We also got to visit the dentist! Even though the dentist chairs were "brand-spankin" new Erica was the only one willing to sit in one as she enjoys going to the dentist.All in all the hospital was very nice and clean with some up to date technology and mostly seemed like a time warped version of one in the states.

Erica, Molly, Sheri, Laura