A Typical Day

Rising at 6/6.30 am volunteers prepare for their day at clinic with breakfast. Except during the wet season, which can vary in both length and severity from year to year, the walk to the clinic takes approximately 10 mins. It is an opportunity for volunteers to enjoy the early morning quietness of the village surroundings before meeting the hustle and bustle of a crowded and busy clinic. A handover meeting is held at 7.30 each morning. Medical staff on night duty complete their tasks and head home.

Patients usually begin arriving at the clinic from six am and are queueing to see the doctors and nurses before the medical staff arrive for work..

The day-to-day work is varied and unpredictable. The clinic work is a mix of general practice/ out -patient department / A and E. Patients are seen, treated and allowed to return home or are admitted to the day ward or a longer stay ward. Where necessary, patients are transferred to Monkey Bay hospital for further examination and treatment.

The clinic finishes for lunch at 12.30. Volunteers return to the volunteer accommodation centre for a welcome meal. Because the volunteer accommodation is located on the beach, lunch is sometimes preceded by a cooling swim in the pool or the lake. The Trust cook, Joab, prepares lunch for the volunteers each day from Monday to Friday. In the absence of supermarkets and fast food outlets this ensures that a good meal is available to everyone during the working week. Lunch is followed by a rest or a chat before returning to work at 2pm. After lunch, mini lectures by volunteers on clinical subjects are sometimes presented. Afternoons at the clinic may be a little less busy. The last patient is seen by 4.30 pm and local staff and volunteers complete their days work. The night duty medical staff report for duty. Emergency cases on are seen and treated during evening and night hours.

 

 

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