I started at the hospital on Wednesday after getting a Ride taxi (Ethiopia’s answer to Uber) to work. I arrived in the car park with no idea where to go, as all the signs were in Amharic, which has a different alphabet. After asking a bunch of people where to go, I finally found the clinic. The hospital was a lot bigger than I was expecting, with big gaggles of doctors in white coats but very casual clothing milling around. The clinic is a large room with 3 consultation desks and a bed half behind a screen in the corner. The patients get seen in the room at the same time, confidentiality is clearing less of a priority here!
I sat in with one of the physiotherapists first, who is responsible for testing patients’ nerve sensations and motor skills. Leprosy damages skin and nerves causing contractions, dry skin, nerve pain and the inability to feel pain or heat, which results in injury. It is easily treated with a course of antibiotics, after which the person is no longer contagious. However, the immune system can’t react against the dead bacteria for years after, causing flair ups of nerve pain and loss of sensation. The clinic treats patients with antibiotics as well as managed their nerve reactions, which are considered a medical emergency in some instances. This is because if they are not managed quickly, the patient can develop paralysis or blindness.
I am writing this blog in short bursts as I do not seem to be able to save anything on my phone… more later!
Anna’s adventures 