A Visit to the Doctor

Clay has been sick a lot during our time here. He has diarrhea off and on (probably 3 days a week), has thrown up a few times, and had a fever in the 100’s a few days this week. We were advised to take him to the doctor to check for an amoeba or parasite in his stomach. So, we made the trek to a Christian hospital about 45 minutes away. Come with us to the visit.
The roads are lined with trash. This is a common sight…horse pulled carts and on the right “rickshaws” filled with people. Here is a typical view of shops on “Main Street.” These loggers were sawing the trees by hand. Even though this isn’t a good pic, I thought it really showed what our visit was like. The door is always left open and any interested parties can see what’s going on in the room! Look at the nurse’s old fashioned hat. There are no “lines” and you just shove your way to the front to get the attention of the employees. The picture below shows one of the registering areas. I stood there politely "waiting my turn" and then got frustrated when bodies all around me were crowding in to go before me. The hospital was nice for Indian standards, but with an open air waiting room, flies were all around and it didn’t feel very “sanitary.” People were laying outside on the hard ground, one woman was vomiting into the bushes. I know we take for granted the health we have in the States.
Our final cost, with registration fees, antibiotics, electrolyte fluid mix, and another medicine, as well as doctor’s visit was 109 rupees. In American dollars, it comes to around $2. Pretty amazing healthcare system… Thank God, Clay didn’t have any amoeba or parasite. So, we’re praying that his little tummy will get used to this food so he can feel healthy and strong again soon.