Restauracion is a small town of approximately 7,000. It is
located in the Northwestern region of Dajabon, a border province of
the Dominican Republic with Haiti. Our 1st day involved
traveling back towards Santiago to the town of Mao to see the
director of public health for the region. We had been told that we
needed his blessing for me to be able to work clinically. Luckily,
within a few minutes of seeing the director and speaking to him, he
gave his permission, and I was officially set to go. We drove back
to Restauracion, for me to get an introduction to the hospital, and
the FIMRC organization.
Starting
Tuesday, 1/14, I began my work at the clinic. Although it was
labeled as a municipal hospital, and did have 3 small wards for
inpatients, the Hospital in Restauracion mostly functioned as a
primary care center. There was capacity for IV rehydration and
antibiotics, as well as an OB/GYN room for births and exams. However,
any complications or procedures requiring specialists needed to be
sent up to Dajabon, the Regional Seat. The hospital was staffed 24/7
with 1 physician (there was a rotation of 3 that worked 24 hour
shifts every 3rd day. One attending physician and 2
medical interns doing their required year of service.
As this
is dry season, my patients presented with mostly run-of-the-mill
complaints, colds, flu, UTIs, the occasional Hypertensive urgency,
but consistent with a family practice in the US. I was told of
episodes of Dengue, occasional malaria, and the epidemic of Cholera
that they had faced here months back.
I spent
the rest of the 1st week getting used to the town and
meeting the generous and welcoming inhabitants.
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