At the hospital, there is a 3 year old girl who is always happy. She likes to share her food with me; she'll take a piece of apple, lick it, then gnaw on it, then hand it to me. After her mom peels a clementine for her, she rolls it around in her hands and breaks off pieces, making sure to give a portion to me and my interpreter. I politely hold it in my fist because I had seen her put it in her mouth first, but then she comes and pries open my fingers to check if I have eaten it or not. Ultimately, I say that I'm extremely full and give it back to her, feeling slightly guilty because I know Senegalese people don't like it when you decline their offerings.
The people here are very hospitable. One doctor invited me to his house for dinner with his family, and several have taken us out to dinner during the past weeks, at quite expensive restaurants. It's not a question of means though. At the hospital, one patient who told me that she could barely afford to feed herself and her children, yet when she bought rice with chicken and onions (mostly onions) for lunch, she enthusiastically invited me to share her meal.
This past week has been more difficult because Senegal is completely out of oral morphine, and doctors have run out of their private supplies (usually donations obtained abroad). The shortage began about two months ago and now every pharmacy, hospital, and clinic is out--and new stock will not come until January, 2013. People are suffering, especially those in advanced stages. We do so much report writing for advocacy, when honestly, I think the best advocacy would be to abduct someone from the ministry and take them to a cancer ward that has run out of morphine.
Some photos of food.
The people here are very hospitable. One doctor invited me to his house for dinner with his family, and several have taken us out to dinner during the past weeks, at quite expensive restaurants. It's not a question of means though. At the hospital, one patient who told me that she could barely afford to feed herself and her children, yet when she bought rice with chicken and onions (mostly onions) for lunch, she enthusiastically invited me to share her meal.
This past week has been more difficult because Senegal is completely out of oral morphine, and doctors have run out of their private supplies (usually donations obtained abroad). The shortage began about two months ago and now every pharmacy, hospital, and clinic is out--and new stock will not come until January, 2013. People are suffering, especially those in advanced stages. We do so much report writing for advocacy, when honestly, I think the best advocacy would be to abduct someone from the ministry and take them to a cancer ward that has run out of morphine.
Some photos of food.
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