The Philippines DOH (Department of Health) and the UN partnered different NGO's (nongovernment organizations) with different hospitals to assist them in the relief stage. Samaritans Purse was partnered with the Schistosomiasis hospital. Although it's a specialty hospital, they still operate as a community hospital (deliveries, pediatrics, mental health, outpatients, etc). Schistosomiasis, is a disease caused by parasitic worms that live is certain freshwater snails which contaminate humans if in contact with this water. (CDC, Nov 2012).
The Schistosomiasis hospital had structural and flooding damaging including the roof being ripped off. With the hospital being 2 stories, they were now unable to have patients on the 2nd floor and patients were moved to the first floor. Since there wasn't enough room for the Pediatric patients and the outpatients area being filled with admitted patients Samaritans Purse set up 3 tents - a Pediatric ward, Outpatients, and a treatment tent.
The Schistosomiasis training center
When I arrived, the hospital grounds were already cleared from debris. They were finishing repairs on the hospital structure. This was a view from the hospital 2nd floor towards the parking lot. To the left is the outpatient tent and waiting area, behind the outpatient tent was the treatment tent. To the right you can see the edge of the Pediatric tent.
Pediatric tent, outpatients tent, and treatment tent.
Each morning before heading out to our mobile clinics and outpatient area, we would have a devotional with some of the Dr's and other staff from the hospital.
A few nurses described the night shift when the typhoon hit. As the water levels were rising they decided to move all the patients to the 2nd floor, then the winds blew the roof off and they had to move the patients back downstairs. The mental health patients were all cooperative :). One nurse in Pediatrics was trying to keep the children calm when a window broke and she was cut with a piece of glass, causing the patients to be even more scared. What a nightmare to live through!
The next day all the staff were trying to find their family to ensure safety before going to the hospital to help. So many staff were needed the following days and worked long hours for many days straight, trying to help their people.
Such a wonderful team! Local hospital staff, SP staff, teachers (our translators), and our driver.
Cake break in the treatment tent :) Loved their local bakery with amazing cakes.
Alex serving it up. Always cheerful!
Gauze for our napkins and tongue depressors for our forks :) Crazy lovely Gilliann!
Taking public transportation to run some errands from the hospital with Gilliann.
My role - nursing coordinator – administration work which was a learning experience for me: doing payroll
for the nurses and translators, dealing with staff issues, ordering medical
supplies and medication for the outpatient and mobile clinics, inventories of
supplies, stats record keeping to send to SP, facilitating the moving of SP off
the hospital grounds, and I was able to do some hands on helping out some days
at the hospital and going out to the rural areas for clinics.
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