“Angolan people respect the power spiritual forces,” explains my friend Cesar. “Thirty years of communism did nothing to impede their deference and fear of the unseen world.” Cesar, a nurse who rose to Provincial Minister of Health, continues, “Christ’s message of power over death and forgiveness over offense is especially relevant to Angolans. It provides […]
These 30 radiant individuals are the nurse practitioners to single-handedly staff the outlying health posts connected with Caluquembe Hospital. located in central Angola. On the back wall to the left is a plaque commemorating Rodolph Brechet, the Swiss physician-founder who began pioneering this ministry in the 1950s. How his influence continues seventy years later, giving
Angola will not soon rival Greece or Italy as a travel destination, but for you seeking more rugged, challenging vistas, it’s a wealth of waterfalls, beaches, rivers, mountain passes and escarpments. Here I’m overlooking Serra de Leba, a 95-turn length of highway plunging from the high plateau of central Angola, to my left, downward towards
CEML Hospital is home to a 24-hour emergency department, staffed by talented on-site nurse practitioners with a physician on call. We frequently see those injured in motor vehicle trauma and children suffering from acute infections. Another predictably frequent emergency presentation is children who swallow coins. Unlike American currency, Angolan coins are brilliantly designed, colorful
This young woman arrived at our emergency department with a mass growing within her right knee for about six months. It was not painful, but the resulting weight and leg weakness made walking impossible. Her family brought along a very poor-quality x-ray, which nevertheless showed multiple egg-shell-like layers of calcification surrounding the joint – quite
Helena, this four-year-young girl, arrived in our emergency department last night. Her parents explaining that for one week she had been coughing, running fever, eating poorly, and making wheezing sounds with each breath. First assistance, as is common in this culture, was provided by a traditional healer. But with no visible improvement, the family caught
This twenty-year-old man traveled from Luanda, the capital city, because he heard we have a dermatologist. While this is not true, I have special interest in tropical diseases, and I was impressed with his account: numerous painful leg ulcers that persist in spite of antibiotic treatments. His lesions bear resemblance with leshmainasis – a protozoal
This twenty-five-year young soldier arrived today with a perplexing story of a motorcycle wreck and low back injury two years ago. He fully recovered. Then, one year ago he began again to have low back pain and developed gradual angulation in his lumbar spine. He has not had cough, fever, nor any significant weight loss.
“The baby delivered four hours ago, but the afterbirth is stuck!” explained our nurse midwife. She was frazzled and fatigued, being on her feet with this delivery for the entire night. At 5:00am, the new mother spiked a fever and began bleeding from her uterus. When I arrived, a quick exam revealed her placenta
Most medical professionals – and broader society as a whole – honor exquisite specialization. Should I ever require a complex surgery, I will surely an seek out an such expert. But in locations like Angola, we simply do not have the resources nor personnel to justify narrow specialization. Instead, skill to manage a broad range