1/23/11 Posted by Amy Mugg, MD (a third year Pediatrics resident from Kaiser Permanente, Oakland…
Week 2
1/12/11
Posted by Amy Mugg, MD (a third year Pediatrics resident from Kaiser Permanente Oakland serving a global health elective at The Belen Clinic in Cuzco, Peru).
Although the clinic divides the available medications into two categories (donated and non-donated), I’ve placed the medications I have available into the following three:
1. Familiar medicines: ie., amoxicillin, metronidazol, prednisone
2. Strange mixtures of familiar medicines: ie., a cream called Radskil (pictured below) which is an odd combination of clotrimazol, dexamethasone and gentamicin. This is the only cream we have that has any sort of anti-inflammatory component. It is often prescribed for diagnoses that include tinea corporis, dermatitis nos, and vaginitis. Thankfully for our tinea patients, we have just a clotrimazole cream.
3. Medicines I’ve never seen or heard of: ie., Isoprinosine. It had been prescribed at another clinic and my patient’s family had no idea why. According to my pharmacist its indications are: viral infections, immunodeficiency, facial herpes, and panencephalitis. Versatile, no?
Unfortunately, I was rained out of my “community” experience today (Tues 1/11) so next Tuesday will be my next chance to visit the remote mountain villages. Judging by the number of accidents I saw on my ride to clinic- this is probably a good thing. The dirt roads were surely in worse shape than the paved ones I take to clinic. The team that was supposed to go to Pancarhuaylla (one of the many mountain communities) today included an Internist, a nurse/herb specialist, an assistant who speaks Quechua and myself. Olga will hopefully be able to go on Thursday- weather permitting.
Today’s rainy weather was brightened by a donation of toys from the local health department. Who wouldn’t love to give a life size “Dora la exploradora” doll away?
I always think of Romancing the Stone when I hear about rained-out dirt roads. Hope you are able to make it to your next community experience. Sounds like an eye-opening adventure. P.S. What fun, giving away a life size Dora doll! I’m sure the lucky child’s face really lit up!
Oh man, you wouldn’t believe how happy the kids were to receive the donated toys. Despite the boxes that the toys were in being often crushed or torn, the kids and their parents were so grateful. Amy & I got all the credit for the toys, because we were the only ones allowed to give them out, which definitely helped on those rainy days when we may have felt somewhat hopeless.