International Medical Aid

While I have spent the last few weeks genuinely confused by Homayon Ghassemi IV, today may have helped me come to terms with the person I have spent far too much time disdaining. A privileged fellow hailing from Johns Hopkins University, Homayon has talked incessantly about  International Medical Aid since I have arrived in Mombasa. He pesters all of us to like his facebook page, gives us his business card, etc. and for a while there I thought he was just promoting a business.  He says things like “cosmetic surgery is the only place in medicine for me” so when he talks about mobilizing health clinics to impoverished areas around the world, you can see how I might be skeptical of a ruse or a ploy to beef up a medical school application.

However, today was the day for me to see for myself what International Medical Aid is really about. I joined Homayon and the rest of the team for a medical clinic in a village nearby. International Medical Aid hired 3 local doctors for the camp and our role was to simply take vitals and then line them up for a routine check-up. The most interesting medical case we saw was an umbilical hernia (see previous post for umbilical hernia repair) and the doctor had me push two fingers into the hernia and feel the tear in the abdominal wall (a creepy and cool experience). As much as I wanted to be actively involved in the medical aspect of today, it is so easy for me to become distracted by little fingers grabbing for my hand and smiles with missing teeth. I spent some time taking temperatures and weighing the kids but I spent a lot more time playing and talking.

The fact that these kids get to see a doctor is the most influential aspect of International Medical Aid because honestly it is an opportunity that may not have been granted them without this organization. The doctors then chart up the necessary medications and the prescriptions are filled and distributed later in the week. We saw almost 200 kids today and the profound effect made is still settling in my mind.

The obvious lesson from today is that I should give people a longer amount of time to truly unveil themselves. There are always going to be personalities that contradict mine but I can see how important it is to just get over it for days like today. My previous perception of Homayon’s “business” was changed by the major impact that I saw being made today and it was a joy and privilege to work with them.

                                                                           Lining up

                                                                weighing some babies

                                   

                                                                         Doctoring.

                                                                         Classroom.

                                                                     Nap time :)

                                                        
                              to learn more about international medical aid: http://www.iamaid.org/