clinic

So I havent blogged for a couple of days. I have not had electricity. For those of you worried about my toe...it is starting to look better...knock on wood though because I am still here for a couple more days. It is crazy that I have to leave so soon to go home. I love life here and am considering coming back. I am pretty sure I will have reverse culture shock when I came home.
I went back to the clinic from the orphanage. I was in the antenatal unit. Here mothers come early in the morning to line up outside to be seen. They wait outside in line for 4 rooms. Women are called up in groups where they are weighed and then brought to another hallway to wait some more. Most women end up waiting for 5 hours to be seen. When they come for the first time every mother is given an HIV test. This is done to help reduce the transmission rate to the baby. It is estimated that the HIV rate in Tanzania is 1 in 10, but it Arusha where I am at it is estimated to be 1 in 5. After the lab test the mothers are examined. It is a pretty basic examine. The mothers are asked questions about previous children and complications and how many times she has been pregnant and the number of children still living. They feel on the stomach and estimate the due date based on what the mother says. Other than that there really are no more questions. They are told when they are supposed to come back and signs to watch for but there is a def need for increased eduation. It is hard though because there are so many women, so few rooms, doctors, nurses, and time! The nurses here do most of the education and exam unless a problem in encountered then the doctor is brought in. there are 2 to 3 women per tiny room so there is no privacy. Everyone knows everything and can see everything. There are so many needs that it is hard to put into words.