Sik haus (hospital in Pidgin)

So, today was my second day at Kudjip Hospital. It is such a different world of medicine. For one thing most standard treatments and work-ups are just not possible due to lack of resources and equipment, but it is very cool how resourceful the doctors here are with such a wide variety of diseases. I have been spending much of my time trying to pick up just enough pidgin to make it in the hospital, but still have to have a great deal of help. For instance, to ask someone to take a deep breath you would say, "tak 'em wind down below". Much of Pidgin is actual english words, but there are so many that aren't it's hard to follow.

Yesterday a man came into the "ER". I was in clinic with one of the doctors and a nurse came and asked us to help, the missionary doctor told me to go and evaluate the man. His name is Kanua Dua, and he is the leader of a tribe here, he is apparently responsible for taking care of a large number of people. He was climbing a tree for some unknown reason and fell out of the tree about 30 feet up, landing directly on his buttocks. He could not move either of his legs and he had large, tender, deformity on his lumbar spine, probably indicating broken vertebrae. In the U.S. this would be a shock trauma with a team of doctors and nurses working on him, neurosurgery would be consulted and medical students would maybe be doing a few things to help out. In PNG this is a different situation, I was the person responsible for managing him, I did the evaluation, neuro exam, ordered x-rays, read the x-rays, ordered medications and developed the plan. I'll tell you this was a very daunting task for me, but it was definitely a learning/growing experience. He did indeed have a broken L2 vertebrae, but i think he was fortunate enough to be below his spinal cord and was spared a more significant injury. Later in the day Kanua Dua regained the use of his legs, and though he is still bed bound, I am hopeful for a very good outcome for him. Today I saw him on inpatient rounds and had the opportunity to talk to him about how fortunate he was to be alive, to have feeling and sensation in his legs and the hope of getting up and walking. We prayed together and thanked God for his wonderful grace and healing powers that were so evident in this situation. Praise God that this hospital is here to help those in need, but to also proclaim the gospel and bring hope to lives for eternity.