Opening, stray shot and an endless story

Last week was eventful in and around Caynaba. The beginning of the week was marked by our medicine delivery. For the hospital, we order medicine every three months, but before that, we have to take inventory and get various offers. After that was done, a total of 75 boxes of medicine had to be counted, registered, and sorted.

Then, last Saturday, we had the opening of our first Health Post. Several representatives and dignitaries had announced their presence for the opening. Among them was the Deputy Minister of Health of Somaliland, the Governor of the region, and the Minister of Health of the region. On the one hand, it was to show our gratitude and respect for the work done by Cap Anamur, but on the other hand, it was also an opportunity for them to gain some credit and to appear on television. The television crew was also present and made a small report about the opening. The opening went smoothly, and it was heartening to see how much the people in the region appreciate the help. Afterwards, I spent several hours in the Health Post to assist and familiarize the local colleagues with our way of working and documentation. On the way back from the Health Post, we were stopped by excited soldiers at one of the checkpoints along the road. These checkpoints are similar to toll booths where armed soldiers stand and inspect the cars. At one of these checkpoints, one of the soldiers dropped his gun, causing a shot to be fired and hitting his lower leg. Luckily, we had a first aid kit in the car, so we were able to provide him with first aid, stop the bleeding, and call our ambulance. The soldier was very fortunate, as the bullet had only penetrated his calf muscle, leaving the blood vessels and bones intact.

The next morning, I returned to War Idaad to see how the regular operations in the Health Post were going. Meanwhile, a conflict that had been brewing in the hospital for several weeks flared up and threatened to reach its climax. Our pharmacist and our doctors had another dispute about the medicine, which led to them arguing and insulting each other loudly in front of the patients and staff. I thought that everyone involved would use our lunch break to cool down a bit. But our doctor used this time to leverage his contacts and influence. As a result, the Governor and Minister of Health of the region suddenly found themselves sitting in our office together with our doctors in the late afternoon. The doctors vigorously demanded the dismissal of our pharmacist, stating that they could no longer work with him. They had brought the Governor and Minister of Health of the region to support their demand. Personally, I was surprised by the extent of the situation and personally disappointed by the doctor's behavior. One can imagine it somewhat like having a conflict at work and suddenly finding the CEO and Mayor sitting in front of you to resolve the conflict. So, the reaction was completely exaggerated, and I made sure to make our doctors aware of this and remind them of their limits.

Of course, we did not dismiss our pharmacist. It is not always easy to work with him, but overall we are very satisfied with his work, and the doctors are also responsible for filling out and signing the prescriptions correctly. In Germany, too, you do not get medicine if the prescription is not signed or if the medicine is ordered incorrectly. Overall, the situation was quite embarrassing and painted a negative picture of Cap Anamur's work.

The problem that both parties have is more personal. They are unable to have a conversation without arguing. So, our temporary solution is for our pharmacist to bring the prescriptions to me, and then I go to the doctors with them, if we cannot resolve it together. So, I am now also a mailman. Of course, this is not necessarily a good solution, but it helps to relax the situation for now. So far, we have given our doctors a lot of freedom, for example, they were allowed to create their own shift schedules, and they were never restricted in the selection of medicines. Maybe we need to reconsider this in the future and also provide clear rules and boundaries for our doctors. If there is no solution in the future, we may have to part ways with all parties involved, even if it means that the hospital would temporarily be without a doctor. The team is more important than the individual, and there is no one in Somaliland who cannot be replaced.

Tomorrow, we will be going to Hargeisa for a few days. The Ministry of Health has invited us, among other organizations, to a meeting with all the aid organizations working in the health sector for Somaliland. I am curious to see who I will meet there.

See you soon.

#AlexinSomaliland