The other day we were operating in a small village hospital on the edge of the primeval forest. We use infusion liquid for the I/A procedure in ophthalmic operations. I look at the plastic infusion bag, and believe or not, it is marked „Made in Hungary”! You can imagine how proudly I showed it off to our nurses! Some years ago I bought a Nokia phone in Kinshassa. I needed a new one, as the old one had gone a little berserk. The tropical heat must have unhinged its brains. I was served by a Lebanese guy in the shop. “Buy this Nokia, it is European quality!
During the rainy season in the Congo, tragedies caused by lightning strikes are extremely frequent. I was faced with such a case this week, when a grandfather brought his grandson to the Mbuji-Mayi ophthalmic surgery.
Here is the brief story:
He was sitting out the storm with his mother and an aunt in their thatched cottage. Struck by lightning, he alone survived. This is a very common type of accident around here with several deaths annually in some villages! He survived, but suffered burn wounds and developed bilateral cataracts.
The scars on his face are the results of burns caused by lightning.
Retinal detachment in the Congo … a serious often tell my patients that they s problem.
In May, we have been “inundated” by patients suffering from retinal detachment. This means that we have discovered about three cases per week in our consulting room. Fortunately retinal detachment is very rare here in the Congo. I often tell my patients that they are lucky to have such good eyes. Somehow the Africans’ tissues are stronger and therefore less prone to tear.
Despite this, there are plenty of “ablation” patients, but the trouble is that they usually go to the doctor much too late, sometimes only months or years later. Of course, it is difficult to see a specialist if there are merely two of them in the entire province of eight million inhabitants, and the two ends of the province are 1,000 ks apart… And that is approximately what East Kasai province is like.
We started to entertain the idea of retinal surgery already years ago, and the marvellous instruments received recently make intraocular retinal surgery entirely possible. Vitrectomy, endo laser, silicon oil pump, vitreoretinal equipment… Of course, having the instruments is one element of the solution, what is also needed is someone who can perform the procedure without causing too much harm. For weeks and months I immersed myself in text books and the Internet, and rehearsed.
Well, a while ago we began to practice retinal surgery. Better late than never in a country with sixty million inhabitants where there is not a single specialist of that kind. Those who have the means and have such a problem, have to go to South Africa and pay thousands of dollars for an operation. There are some who prefer to go to India.
Strangely, there have been several cases of bilateral retinal detachment amongst our recent patients. Surgery is the only chance for them. On top of it, they are very poor people. It gives me great pleasure that for only a few cents I am able to give them new life with the means at my disposal. Our patients have a saying here that “Sight is life”, and there is a lot of sense in that. I know that being a good specialist in retinal surgery takes a lot of stamina. The operations are long and tiring. But it is worthwhile, because we are able to help patients who would otherwise go blind.
Well, these are our latest news,
Richard, from the Congo
Médard, our professional ophthalmic assistant was on mission one day in an out-of-the-way village. He examined lots of blind people. River blindness is still rife around there. All of a sudden he came upon a young 35-ish woman. “Bilateral cataract. This woman can be cured”, he told the elders, standing around him, especially the village chief. “That is impossible, she is a witch. Anyone, who goes blind so early in life, has something to hide, something is not right there! After all, even those with river blindness can see at that age! And anyway, the whole village knows she is a witch, even her husband has left her! She only ekes out a living with her two children.” “And I’m telling you, we can cure her! The next time there is an ophthalmic mission in Lusambo, send her downriver, and you’ll find out!
Originally, still blind in both eyes.
We have planned three ophthalmic missions per year to the township of Lusambo, located in the Sankuru district of the Kasai-Oriental province along the Sankuru river.
The small town, surrounded by tropical rainforest and situated at the confluence of several side branches was an important location during colonial times.
The first missionaries arriving in the Kasai region came on the Congo-Sankuru rivers, thus Lusambo was one of the first missionary settlements.
Its charm is due to its location; the river and the beautiful tropical rainforest lend it a wonderful atmosphere.
Our journey was very difficult. We started out from Mbuji Mayi at 7 am under a canopy of dense clouds, and we were ready for anything ... It is important at such times to keep up an attitude of resignation; otherwise one would break down from pure anxiety. In addition, our chauffeur once again turned out to be insufficiently familiar with the very bad roads.
The dry season has arrived and we're on the move again; this time our destination is Lubunga and its neighbourhood. We started off into the unknown at the encouragement of our healthcare colleagues, because according to them there are lots of patients there. Yes, but how will we find the place? Even the most detailed county maps available in the Congo do not show Lubunga; no road, no village, no forests are indicated where it is supposed to be. Yet allegedly it is a very densely populated, medically extremely neglected area; as it is located on the banks of a river, it counts as region affected by river blindness. Well, that is the kind of country the Congo is. Not even the authorities really know how many inhabitants there are in certain places. So we are setting out into the unknown. I don’t know where we will be staying there, what sort of a hospital we will be working in, where we will examine the patients…
Four of us left from Mbuji-Mayi and later on Papa Gilles joined us, as well as four or five helpers from the township of Lusambo, who know the area very well.
José története itt Kongóban banálisnak mondható. Kétoldali, totális szürkehályoggal született Lusambo városkában, az őserdő szélén, a Sankuru folyó partján. Édesapja valahogy eltűnt a színről, egyéves korában. A 2009-es, első Lusambói szemészeti missziónkon láttuk először. Akkor volt öt éves.
-Minél hamarabb meg kell operálni! Mondtam édesanyjának.
Neki is láttunk, a Lusambói kórház műtőjében. Életem egyik legkellemetlenebb műtétje volt.