Wednesday 16 May 2018

Sotang Primary Health Centre

May 7-11th 2018
From Phaplu, we hired a private jeep to take us to Sotang. Pema, a retired Nurse and Midwife, joined us to help translate and support us. We also had a wonderful cook, Chiyta join us. All of us crowded into a jeep for a 6 hour drive through a long steep, dirt mountain roads.

We stayed with the very hospitable community health worker Shreedhowj Rai and his family. Shreedowj was originally chosen and trained to be one of the first community health workers in his village by Sir Edmund Hillary's foundation.

Mickey, Cathy, Jenny, Emma, Pima and Chiyta in Sotang


The Primary health Centre was just a 15 minute walk from where we were staying. They had 75 births at the birth centre last year and that number is lower this year, which is likely due to the fact that women in the nearby village of Gudel can now give birth at the health post there with the support of SBAs and an ANM. We met the ANMs at Sotang Primary Health Centre and were invited to observe the doctors as they conducted clinic. It was very interesting to see the different complaints. There appeared to be an outbreak of chicken pox in the community as we saw three children who were affected. According to the doctor this is common for this time of year.

Sotang Primary Health Centre as seen from the Helicopter pad. 

We also participated in antenatal visits. The women were first seen by the doctors and then went to see the ANMs for a more thorough antenatal check up. There is ultrasound at Sotang Primary Health Centre and they use it for a variety of reasons: dating of pregnancy, fetal position, to check for fluid levels, and more. They can also order full bloodwork, urine and Liver Function Tests, which makes screening women for things like pre-eclampsia much easier.

Women in Sotang can access Family Planning and CAC/PAC (comprehensive abortion care/post abortion care) although we did see in their referral book that some women are sent to a higher centre for incomplete abortions, despite having trained staff on site. One woman did come for CAC while we were observing. She had 3 children already and did not want more. She requested a medical abortion and insertion of a IUCD (intrauterine contraceptive device) (IUD in Canada). She was counselled, had a dating ultrasound, was provided with the medication, and was counselled on what to expect in the next 48 hours, when to come in, and when she could have the IUCD inserted.

On our last day in Sotang, the plan was to teach an afternoon workshop. When we arrived at the health centre, a woman was in labour. Mickey continued to teach the workshop, while Jenny and Emma provided labour support. She was in labour with her 8th baby. Together with Pema translating for us we discovered that she had a urinary tract infection that had likely triggered her labour. We continued supporting her throughout the day and evening.

At one point we stepped out for some dal bhat, and missed the dhami (shaman) arriving and providing some rituals to encourage the baby to come. After many hours of irregular contractions with little cervical change we decided that the mother should try to sleep and maybe more active labour would pick up in the morning. We also needed some sleep since we were waking up early the next morning to drive back to Phaplu. The next morning we learned that the mother delivered a couple of hours after we left! We were disappointed to have missed her delivery, but very happy to hear that she had her baby and that it was a girl, as she had 6 boys at home!




Sotang Primary Health Centre




The labour and postpartum room before we bought new mattress and sheets. 
Us with Pema and the ANM's next to the sheets and pillows we purchased for the health centre. 

Delivery room at Sotang Primary Health Centre 
Scale and frame built by the community to weigh babies as part of the super cereal program. 

A rose bush, Shreedhowz planted outside of the Sotang Primary Health Centre


1 comment:

  1. Happiness is all i see now I never thought that I will be cured from HERPES virus again. I have been suffering from a deadly disease (HERPES) for the past 3 years now, I had spent a lot of money going from one places to another, from churches to churches, hospitals have been my home every day residence. Constant checks up have been my hobby not until this faithful day, I was searching through the internet, I saw a testimony on how Dr Ogudugu helped someone in curing his HERPES disease, quickly I copied his email which is greatogudugu@gmail.com just to give him a test I spoke to him, he asked me to do some certain things which I did, he told me that he is going to provide the herbal cure to me, which he did, then he asked me to go for medical checkup after some days after using the herbal cure, behold I was free from the deadly disease, he only asked me to post the testimony through the whole world, faithfully am doing it now, please brothers and sisters, he is great, I owe him in return. If you are having a similar problem just email him on ( greatogudugu@gmail.com ) or you can whatsApp his mobile number on +27663492930

    ReplyDelete