Pakistan Floods 2010, Doctors Worldwide - Day 4, 11/10/10 - Work Hard Play Hard

I here there was an earthquake last night. We were up until 4am but didn't feel a thing.

We spent a good 5 hours working at the clinic at Pir Sabaq. It was hectic. Over 3/4 of patients were women & children. Two or three patients were allowed into the room at any given time & so privacy was non existent. A translator was present for patients unable to speak Urdu. It felt like the entire village had turned up with a mixture of acute & chronic problems. Some were expected e.g. infectious diseases, but others were not flood related e.g. Women complaing of aches, pains & feeling tired all the time. I have a feeling that vitamin D deficency may be prevelant despite the sunny climate as the women are often covered from head to toe. Unfortunately there is no blood testing available & no provision for prophylactic treatment.

After the clinic we met Zeeshan who is joining the team in the position of 'project manager'. He has plentiful experience with working with charities & will have the responsibilty of formulating our plans for the next 6-12 months. With this in mind, I am going to tag along with him for an important meeting taking place in Islamabad tomorrow.

I've just spent the evening with relatives in Islamabad. I've had a lovely time. Apart from the great company & food, I got to see the bazaar at night. I'm looking forward to spending the night in a proper bed & to a HOT shower in the morning.