Report from Rwanda, Vol. 6

This is the third installment of our regular "Report from Rwanda" feature, written by our friend and regular Maternally Yours contributor Dr. Washington Hill, who is spending eleven months in Rwanda, Africa, as part of a Clinton Foundation through Duke University. 

Hi friends, family and colleagues,

It is me again. We are both teaching and learning a lot here. Kigali has many hills. Helps with losing at least 20 pounds.

There are good days and bad days but you have to take that. Most of the days are definitely good. Most Rwandans are lovely and appreciative people. In any country, you meet some who are not!

Hope my malaria prophylaxis is working. Mosquitos are out and about. Weather is dry with just occasional rain now.

A wonderful MFM fellow from Yale has joined me for 2 months of teaching. Whoopee! I may kidnap her.

Home the end of July and August for a break (yeah) and lots of appointments.

Cases here are still complex. We get OB referrals from all over Rwanda. Sometimes pregnancy does not go well.

Hopefully medical students and midwives and staff and residents and OBs are learning some things as we sure are. Still working on learning the local language but progress is slow.

Still going to the same church. Wooden benches are still hard. These people know the purpose of Sunday. A international Christian children's orchestra performed. Received standing applause!

I have shared some more pictures and captions below. All patients agreed to their photos being taken. Enjoy.

With smiling resident and medical student. Morris, what is your plan?  Note the mosquito nets.

Breakfast on the ward. Don't ask! They say it is good though.

Time for discharge. What vibrant colors! Babies here are very quiet. Time for the IV to come out.

Rwanda OB-GYN Society Meeting. An Egyptian OB-GYN Speaking on PCOS.

The MFM Yale Fellow Karen Teaching George, a Resident

A Sunday With The Rwandan Midwives celebration. They deliver most of the babies here.

Sport Saturday Day and school kids kids WALK!  No childhood obesity problem here.

A Midwife Team Member Tina and I Teaching About Postpartum Hemorrhage. No One Is Sleeping!! It is a very important topic here.

Resident presentation on Malaria and Pregnancy. Presentations required of all residents.

Proud people who have been through a lot.

All Dressed Up And No Place To Go!

A Rwandan Doc Sharing His Expertise.

Our antepartum nurses.

"Thank you Doctor". Thanks for letting us take your picture.

More patients breastfeed here than most countries. It is natural.

Nice for many reasons.

Meeting the residents after work. Lots of local beer.

The Last Saturday Morning Each Month, the City Closes Down Completely and Everyone Cleans!  Taken at 11 AM last Saturday.

Another of our Team Teaching a Midwife.

An infant of a diabetic who needs a little help getting started.

Can you believe this in the middle of Africa along side Lake Tanganyika.  Original tribes felt if you look at the lake, you died. Evidently NOT true.

Take care and hug someone or something this week.

Washington C. Hill, M.D., FACOG
Maternal-Fetal Medicine
HRH Rwanda
Duke Department of OB-GYN Faculty
Kigali, Rwanda
hrhconsortium.moh.gov.rw