Tubuk, Hargeisa, Caynaba

And once again, another week in Somaliland is coming to an end. At the beginning of last week, I was in Tubuk with the Mobile Clinic. Tubuk is a small mountain village about two hours away from our hospital and is located at the confluence of two dried-up rivers. This also makes it an attractive stop for wandering camel caravans, as it has sufficient water reserves. In total, we visit nine different villages with the Mobile Clinic five days a week and treat over 1000 people per month. Tubuk is one of the most beautiful villages for me and I really enjoyed my day there.

The next day, three fully packed minibuses of patients arrived at the hospital. They came from a village about 3 hours away from Caynaba, and the village elder had organized the minibuses specifically to bring the villagers to the hospital. We also received a request from the prison director of Caynaba. He reported that several inmates in the prison were seriously ill. My idea was to visit the prison with the Mobile Clinic on a free day of the week, as I believe that we should help sick people. After all, that's the purpose of the project. I would also like to see a prison in Somaliland. Unfortunately, our project coordinator had a different opinion, as there seems to be a doctor responsible for the healthcare of the prisoners on the government's side. However, seriously ill inmates can be brought to the hospital at any time and be treated by us. So, it happened more often last week that prison officers brought inmates in chains to the hospital to be consulted by our doctor.

On Monday morning, we drove to the capital again. After a long car ride, we met our contact person the next morning and went together to the Ministry of Health to sign the agreement on Health Posts. In this agreement, Cap Anamur commits to establishing, supporting, and maintaining three Health Posts in the region around the hospital in the near future. So, there is enough work secured for the next few months. Additionally, we paid the taxes for October in Hargeisa, purchased medicine, and procured laboratory equipment. Unfortunately, there were minor problems with the bank, as it is not easy to send money from Germany to a country that is not officially recognized by any government. However, our project coordinator had a good conversation with the bank director and we are confident that the problem is a thing of the past. Overall, it's always nice to get out of the project for a few days, eat something other than rice, beans, or spaghetti, and have a bit more freedom to move around. I also used my time in Hargeisa to visit a hairdresser. Although he cut off my entire bangs and now I can't hide my forehead, which is covered in worry lines, behind my hair anymore, I'm still satisfied overall. Besides, hair grows back quickly. Next time, I probably won't go to Hargeisa, as I believe it's good for the hospital to always have someone from the German team there as a contact person and to keep an eye on things.

All in all, my week was relatively uneventful. Next week, I have to create a concept for working in the Health Posts and finish my application for medical studies in Germany. Maybe I'll have a bit more luck this semester.

For the rest of my day off, I'll probably sit in the sun and read a book. Frodo and Sam are slowly but surely approaching Mount Doom :P :)

See you later.

#Alexinsomaliland