Thank you so much for joining my blog! I can't wait to go to Cameroon and tell everyone about what I'm doing.
I guess the overriding reason why I feel compelled to spend a lot of money and time away from all of you in a country this far away is that I've been blessed with knowledge and education that very few get to experience. Mbingo Baptist Hospital is working very hard every day to educate Cameroonian medical residents and other health practitioners while improving patient care in the region and I feel I can add to that mission. I strongly believe the most effective way to improve someone's life is to empower them through education. Then they can not only improve their own lives, but educate others and the cycle continues! My goal in going to Africa is to share my knowledge in pediatric and neonatal care with others so they can better care for these little guys in the future. Just as important as what I have to give is what the people I meet in Cameroon have to teach me. There’s so much I have to learn both as a doctor and as a person and can’t wait to share everything I experience in Cameroon.
I'm most excited to start teaching the Helping Babies Breathe neonatal resuscitation course. There are 3.6 million neonates worldwide that never make it past their first month of life each year. A substantial amount of these deaths could be prevented - mostly through education and very simple changes in care. You don't necessarily need ventilators and advanced ICUs to save the lives of most of these infants. About one quarter of these neonatal deaths are due to birth asphyxia - or not breathing after birth. More often than not, mothers are giving birth at home and those assisting the delivery are not trained in caring for or resuscitating the new infant. The focus is often on the Mom and the newborn is set aside to either live or die. Helping Babies Breathe was designed specifically for resource-limited countries and teaches those caring for neonates at all education levels how to assess the baby with the goal of them breathing on their own or with assistance within the first minute of life. More importantly, there is someone trained at every delivery that is caring specifically for the infant – warming, drying them and helping them to start taking their first breaths in this world. The staff at Mbingo Baptist Hospital is very excited to be involved in this training and I can’t wait to work with them and something I’m passionate about.
It’s going to be a wonderful experience, but hard to be away from my family and friends. Please comment on any posts, send me an e-mail or facebook message and help me keep in touch. I want to hear from all of you!
Next time you see a post – I’ll be in Africa!
