At the height of the Angolan Civil War I was living in the central city of Huambo. The city was patrolled by day by the MPLA military force, and by night by the opposing UNITA force. Confrontations were like clockwork. As the sun was setting, I would hear explosions in the distance, and as
All of us involved in ‘global health’ agree with the imperative of preventive care and relief from poverty. But nevertheless, people will still suffer from emergencies – situations in which urgent care is truly lifesaving. Enter Paulo Buaki. A native Angolan, Dr. Buaki completed his surgical residency with the renowned Pan-African College of Christian Surgeons.
This is a question very few, if any, neonatologist ever faces in wealthier communities. Today I met this mother and her three-week old infant, who stopped nursing yesterday. Malaria is so very common here, even in the dry season, that the standard thick smear blood test is part of the work up of anyone
This morning I arrived to find this man, who arrived with a history of weight loss (check out the cheek bones), abdominal pain, and cough for three months. One of the greatest challenges of ‘practicing medicine’ in this setting is the lack of testing available. In North America, he would immediately have a CT
Several of you have written questioning whether we ever take any time off. Angola’s health crisis is a chronic one, and I totally resonate with the wisdom of enjoying some creative breaks from the action. On July 4th, while most American’s were igniting explosive devices, I took off with a group of Canadians and
This lady, Cicilia, was riding along on the back of a Mosquito – these ubiquitous 50 cc motorbikes that scurry around the pot holes that make up Angola’s roadways. Her husband was driving, carrying their son on the handlebars. With one stout, unexpected jolt the lady was thrown to the rocks, lacerating her thigh
Early death is an inconsolable fact of life. In the world’s poorest nations, like Angola from where I’m writing now, a quarter of children die before reaching school age, and adults can hardly expect to live much beyond age forty. Such disturbing truths motivate many healthcare professionals to do something bold on behalf of
One of the saddest health problems in all the developing world is vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). It’s a hole created between a woman’s bladder and her vagina, resulting in a constant, uncontrollable flow of urine out the vagina. As a result, many these women – and often children under their care – are outcast by
“Doctor, come quickly!” The nurse’s voice carried a tone of urgency that matched his message. I rose rapidly and entered the chilly night air. Moments later, in the children’s ward at Angola’s Kalukembe Hospital, I met a distraught father carrying Maria, his five-year old daughter. “She’s coughed for days,” he explained with distress. Still
In contrast to the behavior of Angola’s colonial rulers, some individuals made genuine investments into the lives of the Angolan people themselves. In 1929 a family moved to the village of Itunda, just outside the city of Huambo (formerly Nova Lisboa). They started a school for local children, taught about Jesus, and initiated a