Frustration

My last visit I spent much of the time explaining to Ruth about appropriate antibiotic use.  It's terribly overused here and now that the Chinese have given the Kenyan government 40 billion doses of amoxicillin (of which about 40,000 are at our clinic) it is even more difficult to control.  Anyone who has a cough or thinks about coughing gets antibiotics and usually for a course that wouldn't be effective anyway.

So, I see a patient that appears to have a viral upper respiratory infection but needs to be tested for malaria.  I need to leave so tell Ruth to give the patient some tylenol and treat for malaria if positive.  Patient comes back 2 days later wanting more amoxicillin for their family as they have run out.  I check the card (every patient gets their visit recorded on a 3x5 card) and see that Ruth has given the patient antibiotics.  I ask her why and she says the patient has a cough.  rrrrrrrrrr Sometimes I feel more frustrated than a 13 year old boy surrounded by 16 year old girls.

Taking a holiday - rented a car and going to a mountain lodge to sit around and watch the elephants.