Two months in Somaliland

I have been in Somaliland for two months now, and sometimes life here can be challenging. After reporting on some sad cases last week, there are also beautiful stories to share.

For example, there is a patient who came to our hospital with burns on both legs and has been a patient with us for over a month now. Initially, I thought he would be lucky if he could still move his legs at the end, but now his wounds have healed so well that he will hopefully be discharged soon. Or the twins who came to the Stabilization Center at one month old, undernourished and weighing only 1.5 kg. After 4 weeks, we were able to discharge them, still not completely out of the woods, but on the road to recovery. It is always nice to see patients improving and to see the fruits of our own work. I also remember the children who came to us with suspected meningitis and were able to leave the hospital with smiles on their faces after a few weeks.

Working in the hospital here is completely different from in Germany. For example, we have a patient with liver damage who regularly undergoes paracentesis. This involves inserting a needle through the abdominal wall and draining free fluid into an empty cola or water bottle using a cut-off IV system. Our doctor often calls it 'jungle medicine,' and even though the prognosis for the patient is far from good, it helps the patient and may give them a little more quality of life towards the end. In our 8-bed rooms, there are often many relatives alongside the patients, standing by their side day and night and often sleeping on the floor next to the bed. Sometimes, we have to ask 15 to 20 relatives to leave the room before we can begin our rounds. On one hand, it is nice that the relatives care so much and take on many tasks, but on the other hand, the risk of infection increases with so many people in a small space, and patients cannot truly rest.

My work is also different from in Germany. I spend less time at the bedside with patients, which is a bit unfortunate but is also due to the language barrier. I have more administrative tasks. Last week, for example, I had to prepare a contract for the Ministry of Health, finalize taxes for October, and create a concept for our health post. In addition to office work, there are also salary negotiations, job interviews, and conducting meetings. But often, it's also about being present, providing support to the staff, and developing ideas together to improve hospital operations. Many new and interesting tasks for me, but I am also looking forward to joking around with the patients in Germany again.

In Germany, it is slowly getting colder, and in 6 weeks, it will be Christmas already. The Christmas markets will start, and how I would love to have a mulled wine with some of you.

Next year, then :)

#Alexinsomaliland