Hello from Pursat, Cambodia!
We've it's been almost 3 weeks since flying into Phnom Penh. Now I'm in the countryside and really loving the fresh air and great hospitality! I've visited 3 health centers and one hospital so far in this province. Every road except the main interprovince road (and a few in the main town) are dirt and during the rainy season (now) they're especially bad, but not impossible! I had a real treat yesterday when I was driven to Pramoy ("elephant's trunk") to visit their health center. What a wonderful mountain village with even better fresh air and great views of their mountains! The health center has a minimum staff and very few members of the villages they serve can make the long arduous trip to receive services.
I was just visiting with Dr. Khoy Dy, the Provincial Coordinator for RACHA in Pousat, the other day and it was a treat to hear his vision for the province, … how he sees the different units of RACHA supporting each other (safe motherhood, infectious disease, malnutrition, etc…), … how his staff helped the province prepare for the dengue fever season and have seen the lowest incidence rate in the country, … how he is working to establish locally sustainable programs such as a pilot community-based health insurance program, … WONDERFUL!
Missing all of you!
Grant
2 comments:
That sounds so cool! I am very excited for my own field work experience. Your comments about the roads reminded me of my trip to Africa last summer. We kept driving down these "roads" that I would describe as 4-wheeling trails. They were not meant for cars, but that didn't stop us! Best of luck!
I'm excited by your experiences and by the public health "heroes" that you are meeting. I don't think people in general realize how much public health efforts bless their lives. Thank goodness for the people who are willing to face challenges to make a difference!
Keep up the good work!
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