CHAPTER ONE: EVERY DROP COUNTS

As doctors and medical professionals,  we get to sit in the front row seat as we watch our patients recover; we are confided to with secrets that our patients would dare not dare their love ones and the hardest part happens when we have to break a bad news. The different phases of the job!

Through it all, I have come to realize that health is wealth and it is my greatest desire to see all men healthy, flourishing and thriving. Still remember vividly the love, joy and hope sculpted on the young mother's face upon seeing her baby; on the day I did my first c- section and that's what I want to spread.


I have been thinking a lot recently about hope, love, ethics and about a message that William Osler once preached that "good doctor treats the disease, but a great doctor treats the patient". Thus when I heard about the Barekuma Collaborative Community Development Project(BCCDP), I was excited as it placed me in a position of higher grounds to make a difference in the lives of others.


Abraham Lincoln once said that "if he were given six hours to chop down a tree, he would use the first four hours to sharpen His axe". This underscores the essence of preparation. Accordingly,  Day one of the Students' Learning Abroad Program featured loads of orientation which was mainly led by Prof. Daniel Ansong and Prof. Ty Dickerson. We were enlightened on the inception and aim of the program, which I must say was pretty interesting.


After that section,  we were given our T- shirts which came in various sizes,  but all in one cherry red colour. They were indeed eye- catching and we looked royalty in them. We then lined up to take a couple of photos. 

Afterwards,  we were grouped based on the research topic we were doing, then schooled on the procedure,  ethics,  outlines and guidelines for the work.


When you hear the tummies of your students rumbling, then you certain of the fact that they're ravenous. For lunch, we had fried rice and chicken which came in packs. We had to take our meal in the bus due to a certain policy of the Okubi hotel. Some groups took what seemed like eternity to report,  but at the end of the day everyone was served. There were a number of complaints about the quantity of the food. Like the saying goes “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper”.


Re- energized and revitalized,  we were ready for the second part of the orientation.  It was more practical as we practiced with our questionnaires and instruments such as the sphygmomanometer for the work on the D- day.  This part was a bit exhausting but worthwhile. 

At 3: 15pm, we set off to go back to our residence. The day was indeed well- spent and I must add that excitement has very much captured our being and we all can't wait for tomorrow.

Sometimes,  we doubt the power of our efforts and the possibility of eradicating certain diseases. But I want to remind us all that our efforts matter and that it is possible to have a hundred percent of the population healthy which in the long run, would increase longevity and reduce mortality and morbidity.

Every drop counts...

The ocean is made out of little drops, every drop counts. This should be a part of our being and a motivation to keep on helping others despite how little our efforts may seem in our eyes.

Adiós readers