Today a group of us went on a tour of the public hospital in Chiquimula. Conditions were very poor. I was surprised that we were allowed to walk into the surgery room without putting on disposable sterile gowns. Then again, none of the equipment looked very clean. The supply room is a dingy closet and feral cats are allowed to roam around freely. We learned that the nurses are responsible for cleaning and sterilizing their own equipment. As I walked around, I began to understand why every morning when we arrive at the Clinica de Salud in Esquipulas there is a line of people waiting. As rudimentary as our clinic is, we do our best to make it a clean environment for healing.
"Sterile" implements in the supply room.
There is a part of the hospital that is impressive. The Labor and Delivery area is a newly built wing and looked clean and modern. It even had air conditioning. The contrast between the old part of the hospital and the new is drastic. Though this area is still not up to US standards, it felt as if we were stepping into a different world. The hospital administrator explained that they would like the entire hospital to be modernized in the same fashion. Hopefully we can find a way to build a bridge and make this a reality.
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