My typical weeks at the hospital have included participating in admissions of new patients with the medical students and residents, participating in bedside rounds and physical exam lectures. Interestingly, my experience at KCMC has not differed that much from one of my teaching hospitals in the memphis. Most of our patients are very poor and come from the rural surrounding areas and include two primary tribal groups: the chagga and Masaai. Both of these groups are primarily reliant on agriculture with the primary crops grown being coffee and bananas. Most of these people are incredibly poor with average income being less than $1 dollar per day for over 50% of Tanzanians. Most of these people live on about a 0.5 acre of land that produces just enough fruits and vegetables for them to survive off with minimal else extra for commercial sale.
As such these people have minimal disposable income for obtaining hospital services and many are unable to afford the cost of their time at KCMC. From what I have heard secondhand many patients never even make it to the hospital but are forced to remain in their peripheral villages without access to medical care since they know that they can not afford it. Others come to KCMC but are forced to sell their cattle or crops and live with the future consequences of this to pay for the services.