Day 10: Visit to Japanese Hospital

Today was a busy day! We started with the little boy we had worked with yesterday, who didn't want to sit in the chair we thought would be better for him. He arches his back and his head needs support, but he wouldn't sit in the only chair that has head support. Ultimately, we had to let him lie on his stomach on a mat in the grass. We don't know if his condition has worsened since his stay in the hospital, but he appears to be in pain and he won't allow his back to relax. 

Bill brought Narcy, the pharmacist, at noon. After seeing the children and understanding the need, she agreed to donate the equivalent of $100 monthly to help pay for medications! Christine and Lily had written a letter on behalf of Los Pipitos explaining the history of Los Pipitos in Granada and what medications are needed that the parents are unable to pay for.

Later, the doctors arrived from the Health Ministry! We talked with them about the needs of the children we have seen and they seemed to truly understand what we were trying to do. Christine and Lily did a great job of explaining the conditions we had seen and the benefit of having physicians see the children on a regular basis. They will be back on Thursday to continue the discussion.

Policy on Breastfeeding

ICU

Emergency Room

After lunch, we went to see the hospital in Granada that is called the Japanese Hospital. It seems that Japan provided the funding to build it. Todd, the nurse we met from Oakland, joined us for the tour. It's hard to describe what we saw! The Director of Nursing took us around and explained the various departments. Overall, it is similar to hospitals in the U.S. from that perspective. The nurses are very professional and still wear all white uniforms, white shoes, and white stockings, and they continue to wear caps. The hospital rooms open to an open atrium like all of the buildings in Granada in the style of Spanish architecture. There is air conditioning only in some of the units (i.e., labor and delivery). We were impressed by the focus on educating the new mothers. 

Pediatric Beds

As we toured the various units, it was apparent that the people are able to make do with far less than we can imagine. We didn't see a lot of disposable items. For the most part, families are with their loved ones in the hospital rooms and are expected to provide their meals.


There are no nurses' aides here, nor are there LPNs. All care is provided by registered nurses, who are paid about the equivalent of $275 per month to start. This is considered a good salary.  Remember that the cost of living is much less here than in the U.S.

T

The mother of this little guy gave us permission to photograph him. He was born this morning! According to the Director of Nursing, the mother had a previous baby who did not survive. 

We learned that women are not given anything for pain during childbirth - the process is totally natural. 

Christine with New Mom & Baby

The little girl to the right was born today also, and the baby's father and grandmother were there to celebrate the birth. The mom gave us permission to take the photograph.

We're with the Director of Nursing

We went back to our rooms and cleaned up before meeting for drinks and dinner at 6:00. Todd and his family met us for happy hour at the Hotel Casa San Francisco. His family is great! They have been here for 11 days on vacation and will be going home tomorrow to Oakland. We left them outside the bar as they were going to The Third Eye (an upscale restaurant) and we were going to a less expensive restaurant on the walking street. It was a bit disturbing when the young children came to our table asking for the scraps of food on our plates. While begging or panhandling is common in many countries (including the U.S.), we had a difficult time thinking of the children who were truly hungry. We did share the food.

Tomorrow we will see the Metropolitan Hospital in Managua!