MONKEYS!!! Ever since I moved here I’ve been hearing about monkeys living nearby but I’d never actually seen them.......until today! This may be the motivation I need to continue running despite the fact it’s now up to 40oC on some days (not that I’m attempting to go running at midday but it’s still pretty warm in the evenings). Another motivating factor is the fact that my Tanzanian friend Edina told me I’m looking “lovely and fat at the moment.” Without a doubt she meant this as a compliment, but there are many aspects of Tanzanian culture I know I will never get used to, and I have started the morning yoga sessions again as a result of her well-meaning comment! I have also decided to vary my running route a little and rather than just running up a big hill every day to catch the sunset, I am now making it up to the swimming lake a few times a week too. It’s probably best to make the most of the lake now as, once the rains come, the water turns a chocolate-brown colour and swimming becomes a much less appealing prospect. Right now though the water is cool and blue and I am joined on my evening swims by swallows swooping down to catch insects or have a drink. The resident monitor lizards are often to be seen hanging about on rocks enjoying the beautiful evening sun and, despite all that may have happened during the day, it’s easy to remember the good things about living here.
 |
| Edina and her youngest son playing bao outside my house |
 |
| Ndanda swimming lake |
This week I had my first experience of the corruption that is allegedly rife in some of the government-run hospitals, as a patient tried to slip me a 10,000 shilling note (about £4 - but to put it in perspective that’s an eighth of the monthly minimum wage here). Due to a rather extravagant month of spending on my part the money would have been quite useful but I am happy to report my principles remain intact and the money remains firmly in the patient’s possession. Having not worked in any other hospitals in Tanzania I can only go on hearsay, but it does seem that in many it is standard policy for both doctors and nurses to expect patients to pay them directly for any services provided. I guess coming from the UK, the idea of accepting hard cash from a patient for just doing my job is a very alien concept; on the other hand I’ve never had a problem accepting the odd box of chocolates from patients – I'm pretty sure this is different though. Anyway, I have no idea whether this happens here in Ndanda as the volunteers are generally out of the loop when it comes to the shadier goings on of the hospital. Despite trying very hard to eavesdrop, my level of Kiswahili is definitely not such that I can follow high-speed gossiping between the nursing staff on my ward! However, I’ve certainly never seen it happen and I’ve never heard any of the patients complaining about it (though as a general rule Tanzanians don’t complain).
 |
| Makonde plateau |
We have also run out of tuberculosis drugs AGAIN this week in the hospital which is very bad news. This seems to be happening with increasing frequency and will no doubt lead to some frighteningly resistant strains of TB developing for which we will have no treatment whatsoever. The drugs should be free to all and are provided by the government as part of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme. Unfortunately, the logistics of getting these drugs to where they are needed seems to be something of a disaster. As one of my colleagues pointed out, it is possible to get the latest Harry Potter book delivered to the most remote bookshops in Europe in time for the release date, but getting life-saving drugs to rural hospitals in Africa before stocks run out is seemingly impossible. I don’t know where the problem lies, whether it is merely a matter of disorganised transport policy or whether there is a more sinister reason involving black markets and people getting rich selling drugs that should be free – it’s not something I am ever likely to know, but it’s made this week fairly awful for both me and several of my patients.
 |
| Road to Newala with Makonde plateau in background |
Luckily there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the working week is over and tonight we are off to drown our sorrows with 50p bottles of beer and chip omelettes in the local bar – happy days indeed! This bar just happens to be run by nuns – an unexpected combination in my opinion and something that still makes me smile a little every time I go.
 |
| A nun running a pub |
