Chidamoyo Hospital in Zimbabwe

Christmas 2018 has come and gone and soon 2018 will be gone.   We had a great Christmas time with many activities and we look forward to a bigger and better 2019! On Christmas Eve we closed the Outpatient Department at 1 p.m. and had our annual Christmas lunch for our staff.   It had been up in the air if we were having a lunch this year because of the food shortages we have been suffering from since October.   Also, I wasn’t sure if I was going to get out of the hospital and home in time.   It all worked out and we had a wonderful lunch with Major as the MC and lots of jokes and dancing!   We always give a bag of groceries each year for our staff and this year we were finally able to find enough groceries for 100 people to put in the bags.   For awhile we were thinking they might be an empty bag only.   We were able to get 2.5 kg of flour, 2 kg of sugar, 2 kg of rice, 1 liter of oil and 1 big bar of soap.   We were able to get the funds to buy the goods and Major found the

CHRISTMAS-2018                                                                      Thinking of all of you, or friends and supporters.   Wishing you all the best of holidays and good times with relatives and remembering the birth of or Lord! Zimbabwe is having a difficult Christmas this year.   We always give our staff a bag full of groceries for them to have on Christmas day with their family.   This year we have had acute shortages of basic food stuffs and when you cold find it you were limited as to what you could buy, and most costs have increased 300-500% since October 1 st .   Fuel has also been short with people sleeping in queues and long, long lines when the fuel is delivered.   We have been trying to save or fuel we have for ART outreaches, immunization clinics and ambulance runs. Then I went into the hospital on December 12 to have my kidney stent removed and came home in 1 day but ended p 2 days later back in the hospital for an infection.   Stayed 5 days

Hey it has been a busy few weeks.    Our rains have started and with it we got struck by a big power surge through or electric company, ZESA.   We lost our modems to our internet and so we have been without internet except on our phone which is incredible slow and won’t do attachments or scans—so bear with us as we try and get our internet up and working again. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner on the Friday night after Thanksgiving and had 14 for dinner.   We can’t get turkey here but we were able to get chicken rolls and have stuffing, pumpkin casserole, corn casserole, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh rolls and pumpkin pie!   It was a great time to share with each other things we were Thankful for in the past year.  Everyone ate and ate.  One of  researchers with s from Harare thought we eat everyday like that until Christmas--ha! I started putting up Christmas decorations the next day and it took all weekend but finally got them up!   The next week we were joined

Exciting things are happening at Chidamoyo Hospital this week.   We are having a fence put in at the hospital to keep animals and thieves out and control the visitors.   We are also fencing off the diesel tanks where we keep diesel for hospital in and fencing my house to   protect our vehicles that are kept there at night. We have not had any problems but with people so desperate we have seen the need to be preventive.   The fence was paid for by RBF which we get for our work that is paid based on amount of work we do as well as quality and is used to improve the hospital.   The Friends of Chidamoyo paid for the fence at my house to protect all the vehicles we park there at night,   which is great.   Thanks to all who helped with this. Also this week they came to install the Digital X-ray machine that has been donated by the Japanese Embassy.   It took a long time to be sent from South Africa and to clear customs.   We fought for 5 months to not have pay   duty and c

It has been a busy and exciting couple of weeks.   In Zimbabwe from day to day we have to totally trust in God to help us through.   Shortages in the stores or limits on how many you can buy continue in grocery stores.   Yesterday I went to Chinhoyi for a nurses meeting and went to the store and found more items back on the shelves.   They got their price increases so they started putting things out again.   I saw sugar on the shelves (limited to 1 bag per transaction).   Beans in  a can was limited to 1.   Bread was back after a raise from $1.00 to $1.50 and unlimited.   Coke and other cool drinks were bank—some stores limiting, others not.   No cooking oil, no regular margarine (butter $18/pound).   And best of all fuel was available with no queues!   I pulled right up and filled up!   Wow, I felt like I hit the lotto.   Just little things like filling up our tank makes us so happy!   We take very little to make us grateful in Zimbabwe! Yesterday I went to the bank to get

This week we had our first rain on Tuesday early evening and got 1 ml.   The next morning, we got a few sprinkles and Wednesday afternoon a few sprinkles to get the land wet.   Saturday we had a big downpour of 5 mls.    We are hopeful this is the start of a great rainy season with lots of crops grown and plenty of food harvested for all.  Things are already getting green! On Monday I got my results back showing I had a UTI so had to have the catheter changed and start on IV medication.   I had 2 days of the medicine I needed from the last time I used it and then sent my drivers to town to buy 5 more days.   With all the upheaval from the Economic meltdown going in Harare they went to 8 pharmacies and hospitals until the finally could buy enough medicine.   I was getting worried and started praying they could find it.   When I heard they couldn’t even get it at a hospital and knowing this med is used for resistant bacteria I began to worry for all the sick people!   He was final