30-5-12

MUCPP Clinic

Summary

I was at the MUCPP Clinic for the duration of today.  We assessed patients and distributed nutritional supplements to the sick and malnourished.  We were able to help a multitude of patients ranging from a couple months of age to people in their 70s.  They were all living difficult lives but their appreciation for what we were doing was widespread, making the day unforgettable.

Detailed Account

Today we headed straight for the clinic to see patients and help distribute nutritional supplements.  We walked through the busy waiting room and organized ourselves before we started seeing the patients.  We didn’t deal with a line, yet the patient’s orderly figured out whose turn followed with no hassle.  I was given a brief rundown of how things would work today.  If a baby came in we would take the length, weight, and head circumference.  If an adult was the subject we would take the height and weight to determine the BMI.  With these measurements we would then provide nutritional supplements accordingly.

Me taking the head circumference of a little one.

For malnourished babies under 6 months Melegi, a milk supplementation, was prescribed.  This was the milk that all the mothers were previously given when it was considered dangerous to breastfeed.  The weight of the baby dictated the amount of supplements we provided.  In one case we gave 8 tins and told the caretaker to mix 5 scoops with clean water 5 times a day for the period of one month.  After evidence proved breastfeeding was beneficial a mistake occurred and roughly one million rand worth of Melegi was ordered.  Now since this milk is only prescribed in extremely rare circumstances the majority will expire before it can be put to use.  It the already dwindling funds the MUCPP has this is a devastating truth.

Malnourished children between 6 months and 10 years were given varying amounts of PediaSure.  For malnourished children we administered 3 tins, and for severely malnourished children we administered 6 tins.  For children suffering from certain conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Marasmus, Kwashiorkor, TB, and/or HIV varying supplements were given regardless of weight.  People above the age of 10 were usually given between 3-5 tins of Nutren (7 scoops, 2x day).  For severely malnourished patients, with a BMI below 17, 8 tins of ensure was prescribed. 

The majority of the people who came to the clinic were so incredibly grateful for their nutritional supplementations.  They were also extremely honest with their progress, most of which was in an upwards direction.  They were happy to see improvements and as much as they appreciated the help of the supplements they strived to not need them.  Once a person was doing well on a growth chart or had an acceptable BMI for 3 consecutive months they were taken off supplements.  On many occasions we gave them their final supplement and asked them to return in two months instead of the normal one.

Although the majority of the people were doing much better and improvements were obvious some were not as lucky.  One child came in with Kwashiorkor, where they had a high energy, low protein diet.  This caused the child to be very lethargic, have swollen extremities, skin lesions, brittle hair, and a protruding stomach.  PediaSure was prescribed and I hope that his family can emphasize the importance of his nutrition.  Another child’s weight was declining over the months and the mother received a lecture about abusing her child, I can only hope this scare worked because the social workers do not have the best reputation here.  I also met some of the frailest people I have ever seen in my life.  Not frail like an elderly person, frail as in a 25 year old male who worked hard, had a good attitude, but whose waist circumference was less than a basketball.  On a brighter note some of the patients were a pure joy to be around (I’ll upload some pictures of the day soon).

Shop Shop ("good")

My favorite patient of the day, boy what a personality!

Once again, today has been incredibly fulfilling and educational in a multitude of ways.

I also must add that when I came back to campus I…

got a gym membership and worked out!

tried pap!

found the climbing wall!!!

went climbing!!!!

met some great local climbers that are psyched to get me out on some real rock and give me info about Rocklands!!!!!