Week Eight

Our final week in Durban started at Malagasi Clinic, which is located in the township, Umlazi. At this clinic we had a new experience: participating in child immunizations and planning visits. All children in South Africa have a “Road to Health” card, which outlines when they need to be seen at a clinic for check-ups and immunizations. When the child is brought in we collected their weight and measurements to plot on the card. Then we would see what visit they were there for and if immunizations were needed, we would prepare and administer the drops/shots. Similarly, women from the township come to the clinic with their “Family Planning” card. Like the “Road to Health” card, this card keeps track of what method of birth control they are using and when they are due for the next injection or set of pills (We also prepared and administered the shots for these women). The card system may seem primitive, but in this setting where patients do not necessarily have a PCP, it is effective in recording the patient’s pertinent history and also a record that the patient keeps to remind them of important health details.

After the immunization and family planning visits, the clinic switched back to regular primary care. The clinic is entirely run by Sisters (nurses) and so they were relieved to have our help for the day. As a result, we were allowed to assist the Sisters and serve a more active role in the visits – often biting our tongue and remembering to be respectful of cultural differences.

Unfortunately, the rest of the week unfolded as a frustrating series of events at our clinic sites – so I’m not even going to blog about it! But in the end, we completed the program on Thursday and enjoyed that evening with our host family, who put together a braai (BBQ) for our last night.