Final Week at Mazimbu

Our final week at Mazimbu is normally busier than the first week, a pattern which is repeating this year. The first week is busy with the initial consult with patients. By the second week, lab and other diagnostic tests have been completed on those earlier patients and the available slots for surgery are booked.

Surgeries this year have seemed to swing back and forth between Dr. John and Dr. Swai. Monday’s surgeries were predominantly gynecological procedures, so we were not able to register any new gynecological cases. But Dr. John was in his office all day so many new, non-gynecological patients were registered. The reverse was true for Tuesday and Wednesday. This makes things a bit tricky for Courtney and Pati, who have been manning our registration desk. The team must manage the line of hopeful patients so that we are able to register patients for the doctor that is holding clinic on that day. The others are given numbers and asked to return another day. The number will give them priority to the front of the line.

Tuesday’s schedule was so full, we knew we would be at the hospital late in the day. Dinner at LJS is served promptly at 6 so we opted to eat at a restaurant, the Arc Hotel, where we arrived at 7:30. A table for 19 was set up on the patio, where we enjoyed a wonderful view of the sunset over Mt. Uluguru.

Dinner for a crew of our size takes quite a while so it was after 10 when we arrived back at LJS—way too late for a team meeting. Today, Wednesday, we have five surgeries scheduled so, in anticipation of another long day we are going back to the Arc but this time we have pre-ordered, hoping to shorten the time needed for our evening meal.

Our lunches at the hospital have improved this week. Dora is a woman we met on Friday that brings home-made goodies to Mazimbu for the staff to purchase. She agreed to cook our lunches and bring the food in for our convenience. And she takes requests! Today we asked for the Tanzanian version of fast food—sambosas (fried, meat filled or egg and meat filled pastries), kababu (minced meat balls rolled in bread crumbs and fried), kaukau (vegetable filled pastries), rice, peas, pumpkin greens and bananas. This was so well received the team has asked for the same dishes to be prepared for us for tomorrow’s lunch!

Thursday and Friday are fully booked with four surgeries each day. Our clinic visits will end at noon on Friday to give the team the afternoon to wrap up. We must give an accounting to the hospital of the patients we treated and the medical supplies and medicines we leave as a gift.

We hope to post again after our safari to Mikumi national park on Saturday.