With my letter of affiliation from UM in hand, the hospital sub-director was now able to give me permission to have time in the hospital. She asked which area I would like to observe, and I replied with surgery, emergency, and maternal care - the latter of which provoked an interesting dialogue.
With the help of my translator, the son of a nice family I met just yesterday (originally from Jarabacoa, lived a long time in New York, and now living back in Jarabacoa), I was able to understand her concern. In the Dominican Republic, she said that women are very delicate - meaning they will not seek care from anyone but their one physician ... ideally a female doctor. It is very uncomfortable for them to have anyone they don't know, especially male, to be present in the room with them. So, she said it wouldn't be possible for us to observe there. However, it might be possible to speak with a gynecologist and physicians in family planning in the future.
Surgery wasn't available either - it is currently undergoing some construction, so she said not everything was running right now (I'm not sure what) and that there isn't much space for extra people. It may be finished upon my return here in Jarabacoa, when I can hopefully have some time for observations and interviewing the surgeons.
We are a go for emergency, though - she is setting us up with a doctor for tomorrow morning. Thankful to have that time tomorrow to really begin the initial phases of this needs assessment project. It should be a great place to begin, with a doctor that should have experience in treating a variety of cases.
Upon talking further with this family, getting to tour their beautiful new, modern language center (an upgrade from their current facility across the street), which is almost operational and ready for students, I learned that in the Dominican Republic, it isn't disease that contributes to the larger mortality rate, but road traffic accidents. They said that so many young drivers, mostly male, drink and drive, and very few people wear helmets. I notice this everywhere I've been in the country - almost no one is wearing a helmet, and motorcycles often carry 2-3 passengers ... even a family of 6!
It's kind of a cultural thing to not want to be restricted to rules. A history of distrust in the government (reflecting on the history of Trujillo) and law enforcement plays a role in this culture; for example, in the capital, two policeman on a motorcycle flew right past a busy intersection (on a red light) while the other traffic was stopped, waiting for the light to turn green. My taxi driver was disgusted.
My parents sit in the galería (patio) talking with family, my brothers and little cousin watching their favorite shows on Cartoon Network and Nick Jr., and I writing this blog and reading more Essential Clinical Global Health. Hasta la próxima.
With the help of my translator, the son of a nice family I met just yesterday (originally from Jarabacoa, lived a long time in New York, and now living back in Jarabacoa), I was able to understand her concern. In the Dominican Republic, she said that women are very delicate - meaning they will not seek care from anyone but their one physician ... ideally a female doctor. It is very uncomfortable for them to have anyone they don't know, especially male, to be present in the room with them. So, she said it wouldn't be possible for us to observe there. However, it might be possible to speak with a gynecologist and physicians in family planning in the future.
Surgery wasn't available either - it is currently undergoing some construction, so she said not everything was running right now (I'm not sure what) and that there isn't much space for extra people. It may be finished upon my return here in Jarabacoa, when I can hopefully have some time for observations and interviewing the surgeons.
We are a go for emergency, though - she is setting us up with a doctor for tomorrow morning. Thankful to have that time tomorrow to really begin the initial phases of this needs assessment project. It should be a great place to begin, with a doctor that should have experience in treating a variety of cases.
Upon talking further with this family, getting to tour their beautiful new, modern language center (an upgrade from their current facility across the street), which is almost operational and ready for students, I learned that in the Dominican Republic, it isn't disease that contributes to the larger mortality rate, but road traffic accidents. They said that so many young drivers, mostly male, drink and drive, and very few people wear helmets. I notice this everywhere I've been in the country - almost no one is wearing a helmet, and motorcycles often carry 2-3 passengers ... even a family of 6!
It's kind of a cultural thing to not want to be restricted to rules. A history of distrust in the government (reflecting on the history of Trujillo) and law enforcement plays a role in this culture; for example, in the capital, two policeman on a motorcycle flew right past a busy intersection (on a red light) while the other traffic was stopped, waiting for the light to turn green. My taxi driver was disgusted.
My parents sit in the galería (patio) talking with family, my brothers and little cousin watching their favorite shows on Cartoon Network and Nick Jr., and I writing this blog and reading more Essential Clinical Global Health. Hasta la próxima.