Marianhill Medical Clinic

The Islamic Medical Association funds Marianhill Medical Clinic. Because it is a private clinic, patients must pay 40 Rand to be seen. There are 2 "sisters" or nurses that see patients. The other staff members organize patients, take observations (BP, weight, blood sugar), and explain how to take medications. I spent most of my time with Sister Karema over the past two days at this clinic. Between her and the other sister they see anywhere from 140-160 patients a day. The most common cases I saw were shingles, STI's (Sexually Trasmitted Infections), Flu, Sores, and a host of other common problems. There were many children seen at the clinic with flu, sores (poor hygiene related), and diarrhea. They have a Voluntary Counseling and Testing center in the clinic. The VCT counselor's name is Vusi. His job is to do pre-testing counseling, HIV counseling, and post-test counseling. He educates those who discover their status on how to go about staying negative or what to do next if they are positive. It's a difficult to job to give that kind of news.
Today one of the sisters took us around the rural area to do some home visits. Unemployment is extremely high and many people that are sick do not have enough money for food or transport to get to a hospital or crisis center for help. It was a very sad experience. Later in the day Vusi took us to visit the local Sangoma. A sangoma is a traditional healer in the Zulu culture. The sangoma is always a woman. She showed us the herbs, oils, and "mutis" (mixtures) that she uses to treat those that come to see her. It was a great experience to see where some of patients seek help and what is actually given to them. It is certainly a very ancestral, spiritual sort of practice. If anything, it works to ease the psychological stress of unwellness and harnesses the mind's healing power over the body. Many Zulu religiously believe in the healing power of the Sangoma.



My time at Marianhill was well spent. I learned how clinics operate to efficiently see many patients in such a poverty stricken area ridden with HIV/AIDS. Tomorrow we go to Chartsworth Hospice Center.