A day in Darfur
Johnny Greyvenstein provides a glimpse of the
challenges facing medical teams in Sudan
Medics working in areas of conflict often face difficulties
drawing a line between the job they are doing and the problems
facing the country in which they are based - the effects of
instability and fighting inevitably crossing into their day
to day working lives.
Part of a five-man medical team running a clinic in Sudan,
Johnny Greyvenstein is one of 38 Frontier Medical medics working
across 32 different sites to support 900 PAE employees in the region
whose job is to provide logistical support to the African Union's Sudanese
peace keeping mission. For Johnny and many like him, it's the involvement
and diversity that help maintain his motivation in difficult circumstances.
He sends this report from El Fasher in the Darfur region of Sudan.
When fighting between different factions is an everyday occurrence,
it puts a particular kind of pressure on anyone deployed here. The political
stability of the region has been in jeopardy since we arrived last May,
regressing to a point when shootings in the market place are common practice.
The evacuation of humanitarian workers from El Fasher was a particular low
point last December. Medics working near to the Chadian border live with a
background of heavy gunfire from nearby villages and have faced several
attacks on their camps.
Developing bond
But despite what may seem like challenging working conditions, a
developing bond between all the medical teams in the region has in fact made
this a very special place to work. Although we're not directly treating
refugees in Darfur, we have contact with the people who do. While our
personal responsibility is the welfare of PAE staff, we share our camps
with African Union forces and don't turn away from treating
casualties.
Whether as a Frontier Medical medic, a doctor with an NGO
or staff in a local hospital, we all help each other in times of
need and it's an important part of our life here that we are able
to get involved. Yes we see the effects of conflict on the people
who least deserve it and we are all gaining experience of dealing
with gun shot wounds but there are also positive stories.
Elsewhere in Sudan, a young mother and her two infants are
starting life together thanks to intervention from Dr Vyacheslav
Botyev, another Frontier Medical doctor working on a different project,
part of a medical team supporting geophysical services company,
WesternGeco. |
Dr Botyev saved more than one life earlier this year following
an emergency request for help during the delivery of twins. With one
healthy baby born, early indications were that the second baby had not
survived, with the mother too exhausted and dehydrated to continue
labour. It's the sort of situation that is managed safely every day
elsewhere in the world. Here in Sudan, without easy access to early
medical intervention, the stark outcome for most is that the mother
too would have died.
After intravenous fluids and antibiotics to minimize the risk
of blood poisoning the team were able to transfer the patient to
hospital and restart her contractions. She survived and so did the
second baby.
Cholera outbreak
Sudan is an inhospitable place. For the most it's a desert, plagued
by sandstorms. Bitterly cold winters follow scorching summers. It has
its own particular medical challenges. Snakes are an issue here. In a
UN camp it was reported that a python had killed a security guard and
this was only discovered when the snake became entangled in the electric
security fence and the outline of the guard's body was clearly visible.
Then there is the impact of poor sanitation and overcrowding on the spread
of disease. We were threatened with a serious cholera outbreak in my
first few months here, a significant health risk as many of the local
population were entering and leaving the compound daily. With the help
of Frontier Medical Topside Support we were able to implement very quickly
the systems and protocols to prevent the possible spread of the disease.
As a result of good management, contingency planning and team work, we
avoided any case of cholera in the compound.
The re-supply of stock and in fact communication in general is
challenging at the best of times. The only way in and out of most camps
is by helicopter, assuming it's safe to travel. Communication by satellite
phone and internet is sporadic. The mobile phone service is almost always
off. It does create challenges in areas where no other medical care is
available particularly if you need Topside Support or a medevac. It's also
tough on long distance relationships. We all face the frustration of
flight delays and long deployments. You soon realise the importance of
forming friendships away from home.
It's not a job for the faint-hearted but despite the challenges,
the rewards are here; the camaraderie, the sense of achievement in
difficult circumstances and the wide range of clinical experience that
are an integral part of life for any medic with the expertise and
commitment to make a difference here in Sudan.
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