The following was copied from the May 23 edition of the Kingston Whig-Standard. As this is about the hospital in Kenya that I donate to with proceeds of my photography, I thought it might be interesting for people to read a bit more about it.Doctor makes mercy his mission; Providence Manor's medical director leads building of hospital in Kenya by
Erin FleggWednesday, May 23, 2007 - 12:00 Local news -
You've probably never thought of collard greens as a privilege, much less a matter of life or death. But for thousands of children in East Africa, a lack of folic acid, contained in foods such as collard greens, broccoli and strawberries, can lead to permanent disabilities and even death. Conditions such as spina bifida and hydrocephalus, caused by a folic acid deficiency and easily prevented in Canada, often go unaddressed in Africa and other third-world countries. Dr. Ivan Stewart, medical director at Providence Care's Providence Manor, is heading a project to build a new children's hospital and rehabilitation centre in Kenya to treat children with disabilities. The village of Kijabe, which has a population of several thousand people and is about 35 kilometres north of Nairobi, is already home to the Kijabe Hospital and the BethanyKids pediatric care unit. Stewart, a palliative care specialist, said his primary role will be to facilitate communication between the people in Kenya and the people in North America. "We're part of a larger organization, a larger attempt to improve health care in East Africa," he said. Construction will be led by Dr. George Akhras of the Royal Military College and a team of engineers and architects, including four fourth-year engineering students from the college who will be working on the construction and power aspects of the project. The new facility will be built either on the same site as the existing hospital or on land 25 minutes away. Stewart, who is in Kenya until June 2, said the team hopes to have 100 beds up and running by 2012, with the ultimate goal of expanding to 200 beds by 2014. "The goal is to reach 200 beds serving children with not only visible [ailments], but also children with cardiac, kidney [and] urological problems that are not presently being treated." To support 100 beds, Stewart said the hospital will need at least four surgeons, a pediatrician, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist and a team of nurses and administrative personnel. The current Kijabe Hospital was built in the 1960s with 50 beds and has grown to a 200-bed facility employing 20 doctors from a variety of specialties. The hospital began specializing in children's disabilities in 1998 with the construction of the Bethany Crippled Children's Hospital and 35 more beds. It quickly grew to 50 beds and, before long, they had outgrown the facility again. In 2001, Bethany Relief and Rehabilitation International was created to help refurbish the pediatric ward at the Kijabe Hospital, and in 2004, BethanyKids added a 35-bed unit to the facilities. Stewart said the goal of both the old and new facilities is to provide medical treatment and to educate the community about the early detection and treatment of childhood disabilities. "In Africa, it's not uncommon for these children to be hidden away, in some cases taken into the bush and left to die," he said. He said cost is a major factor in an African family's decision to have a child treated. For treatment of spina bifida at a government facility, the total bill, including surgery and rehabilitation, would likely come to around $400. The average yearly family income is between $200 and $300. The only fee associated with treatment at BethanyKids is a few dollars taken as a desposit before surgery is performed. The hospital also subsidizes travel to the facility. Last year, more than 600 surgeries were performed on African children. Stewart said the biggest challenge in practising medicine in Africa is adjusting to the limitations of working in a developing country. "Things happen at a different pace," he said. "You have to be willing to accept standards that are appropriate for the setting, the circumstances where you're working." He said the easiest part is finding people to treat. "There's no shortage of patients." Stewart has been visiting Kenya twice a year since 1986, working with disabled children and teaching palliative care. He said it was Dr. Richard Bransford, a missionary surgeon living and working on the new project in Kenya, who inspired him to get involved in the development of the medical community in Africa. Bransford is in charge of determining which of the two possible sites will best support the new facility. Speaking from the hospital in Kijabe, he agreed the success of the hospital hinges on the involvment and education of the community. "I think one of our keys to care is compassionate care and training people who want to do the work. ... We're trying to teach laypeople about spina bifida and hydrocephalus to try to get them to bring their children in earlier," Bransford said. He said training national doctors and surgeons is also crucial to creating a sustainable system of care. "You also educate the medical community that know very little about disabled people within this context," Bransford said. The population of Kenya is approximately that of California, where Bransford spent his childhood. Spread throughout the country, there are three plastic surgeons, 25 orthopedic surgeons, 23 ear, nose and throat doctors, and 12 neurosurgeons. Bransford is currently the program manager at BethanyKids, performing surgery and overseeing the administration of the hospital. He said that, although the current facility provides some of the best care in the country, it's still a far cry from what the Western world considers modern. "Highest level of care here is not the same as highest level of care in Canada or the U.S.," he said, noting the equipment in the operating room is probably a generation out of date. Disinfectant is often stored in recycled plastic bottles, and many of the supplies are donated. Despite the difficulties, Bransford and Stewart both say there's nothing they would rather do. "I don't know of anybody in the world I'd trade places with," Bransford said. "The peace of knowing I'm where God wants me to be is really a comforting feeling."
