A malaria case in the early hours

Today the nice weather prevailed. Already at 9 am the temperature was around 30°C and it seems that the rainy season has ceased for a while. On the way to the hospital I met taxi driver John and he asked me I got the latest news from our doctor Wanjara. This morning at 4 am John was driving a mother and her sick child to the official Sankt Meris Hospital in town for an urgent examination. But the doctor refused to examine the child and asked the mother to come back at 8 am. What a concern! The taxi driver spontaneously proposed to drive to the Rhein-Valley Hospital where they found doctor Wanjara who immeditately looked after the girl and gave her an infusion. It was a severe case of malaria and with the correct medications she can go home in three days. John was amazed to see how nicely our doctor was fulfilling his duty and I was surprised to get such a compliment from a Kenyan citizen. - Mama Matata

Active day with Malaria and Diabetes

rs. Many things to do today. Some patients came for a control and one girl was tested which Maleria medication is the correct one. There are various types of Malaria, so we usually make a test first. If you give a wrong medication, it might not help but can endanger the life of the person. Other patients came with Diabetes, still very frequently found here in Kenya. Our doctor Wanjara tries to inform the people in detail about the correct food plans. Some who do not listen come back to us as emergency cases.

One malaria case and again no electricity

rs. The planned demonstration in the Uhuru Park was blocked by the military, but in Nakuru town again houses were burnt and there were some casualties. Here at the Rhein-Valley hopspital it was a quiet day. We only had one emergency case: a small boy with malaria was brought and urgently needed an infusion. The majority of the people of our camp went to church; some stayed and prepared lunch. I went home early. Unfortunately we again had a power break down. Electricity and telephone connections in Kenya are not for granted!

Emergency: a boy came with malaria

Sunday in the Rhein-Valley Hospital

Video reportage on Mama Matata's work

rs. Today we drove to the hospital ground to make the last arrangements for the installations of the toilets. Today I also realized a live video reportage on Mama Matata that we will also publish on this blog as soon as it is cut and finished. I filmed her explaining the hospital's activities. We started at the main entrance, then went to the ambulatory, laboratory, operation theater, storage room of the medications, book-keeping department and the sanitary rooms. We could also film the birth of a child. We just arrived some seconds before it happened! I never watched a birth in my life. The mother is fine and 3 minutes later Mama Matata made a little interview wit her. Then we watched the situation of other patients, among them two women with Malaria. We also called Nairobi to get the latest news about the container, waiting for the last papers to be released. Then about 2o IDP's came for their food rations; they couldn't make it yesterday. At 4 pm we rushed home but couldn't escape another heavy down pour.

Little malaria patient