Okwuchukwu Obi

 

“TIA: This is Africa” Is one of the basic tenets to guide you while you work here at Kijabe Hospital. This nugget of wisdom was conveyed to us on our first day of orientation, and has been repeated several times over the course of my first week here in Kijabe Hospital by physicians who permanently work here at Kijabe. It is a simple way of saying: get your expectations in order; there are limited resources available so work with what you have. 

 

This principle has guided me on a daily basis: Everything is reusable. The ventilator circuits, the pulse oximeter probe, even drugs, which are drawn up into big syringes, then into smaller ones in order to have a clean syringe for each patient. 

 

Not withstanding limitations in resources, lives are saved daily in Kijabe Hospital. Here is a quick summary of the cases I participated in on Friday, 03/16.

 

These patients were adequately cared for with the available resources, and represent a fraction of the surgical cases that were performed on Friday. This is Africa. A little goes a long way, and that is perfectly okay.

Week 2
Lessons from Kijabe: Pray

We pray before every case. We pray with the patient in their language of choice, usually English or Swahili. The whole team consisting of the surgical team, anesthesia team, and nurses participates. It is usually a short prayer, led by anyone in the team. Attention is required; we intercede on the patient’s behalf. We pray for a higher power to guide the surgical and anesthesia team during the surgery. We pray for a smooth operation and uneventful post-op course. After the prayer, the anesthesia team proceeds with induction. If not done prior to anesthesia induction, we pray prior to “time-out”, at the beginning of the procedure.  In the Intensive Care Unit, we pray before we round on the service. We pray before any major procedure or intervention on a patient. 

AIC Kijabe Hospital was established over a century ago. It is a church affiliated hospital established by African Inland Church (AIC). Their mission is to “Glorify God through compassionate health care provision, training, and spiritual ministry in Christ Jesus”. It’s tradition of praying in the operating theater, ICU, and wards stems from it Christian background and continues to hold strong. 

These moments of prayer have been a point of reflection for me. 

I am reminded that a fundamental purpose of a physician is to be of service to other human beings. When we pray with our patient, we cast aside personal egos and focus on what matters: the patient. We acknowledge the privilege to use our education, wisdom, and judgment to care for a fellow human. We recognize our limitations as physicians, as humans without super natural power. 

Praying with a patient does not absolve us of our responsibility to be the best physician we can be; rather, it reminds us of said responsibility and holds us accountable to a higher power.  

When we pray with our patients, we put them on equal footing with ourselves, the providers. We are here: for you, with you. 

It is different here in Kijabe. We pray openly, revealing our vulnerabilities as humans, understanding that we or a loved one will be the patient one day. 

In the United States, I have never offered to pray for my patient. Once in a while, I encounter a family who wants to pray and I willingly join them. They are usually grateful afterwards, strengthening our bond. I do not intend to change this practice. I will, however, try to make it a practice to offer a prayer for my patients in my mind. To remind myself to be of service to my patients: It is not about me, my time, or my convenience, but to serve a fellow human being in their moment of vulnerability. Understanding it is just a matter of time…