Laura’s back in Africa for her third trip to Kofan Gayan Memorial Hospital, a rural municipal hospital (district hospital) in northern Nigeria, where she’s provisioning solar power to support lighting (led headlamps and DC led floodlamps) and communications (icom walkie talkies) for a maternity ward. While she’s there, she’s emailing periodic updates about her progress, which I’ll crosspost here.
From: Laura Stachel
Cross-posted from wecaresolar.com
Hello friends and family,
I’ve been in Nigeria for 5 days and it’s been a whirlwind of activity and accomplishments. Please take a look at the WE CARE website: www.wecaresolar.com if you want some detailed updates. The solar project is phenomenal – the solar panels are being installed, wiring is being done, and lights will be up in the maternity ward, operating room, and labor and delivery by the end of Monday. We’ve also installed outlets to enable suctioning in the operating room, and ongoing battery charging for the walkie-talkies and LED headlamps. Nurses in ALL of the wards are using the LED headlamps, and I’m learning that they are no longer having to postpone critical nursing care due to lighting problems. So intravenous lines are being placed on time, babies are getting the antibiotics they need, and stress levels are going down. The new antenna for the walkie talkies has been installed, and the repeater will be put in place on Monday. Then I will test the system to
verify that the walkie talkies will extend for 12 miles. That means that all the hospital employees on call will be able to use them, not just the ones who live on the hospital grounds. I also met with a group of visiting American doctors and convinced them to donate surgical supplies to the labor and delivery ward. Finally, I have been observing and working with hospital staff, who have asked me to initiate a meeting next week to review difficult cases with poor outcomes, and to promote improved standards of care. They see me as an allie and have responded to my gentle criticisms of their care in the most productive way possible.
And for the most special surprise – I procured a solar powered blood bank refrigerator and solar panels for the laboratory today
I’m going to be visiting the ministry of health on Monday, because the hospital wants to have a celebration in honor of WE CARE on Wednesday.
I haven’t been sending out my field notes about hospital care as I have in the past. I have been witness to many sensitive things, and worry about publicizing this for the world to see. If you would like any of my notes for your personal perusal, just let me know. They are at least as detailed and moving as the ones I blogged a year ago.
Finally, some of you have asked me how to make donations. If you have not had a chance to make a donation to the WE CARE project and would like to, the website will accommodate donations through PAYPAL for a tiny fee, or you can send a check to: WE CARE, 3009 Hillegass Ave, Berkeley, CA. 94705.
