A look inside a medical clinic in Sakila, Tanzania.
This is the reality of what health care looks like in Sakila, Tanzania. In Sakila it is common for a person hoping for medical care to travel by foot for miles. Some of these problems are treatable and some unfortunately not There is no appointment time, therefore the patients wait is undetermined.This is a free clinic run solely by volunteer doctors coming from around the world to help people clearly in need.
A look inside the only medical office in Sakila, Tanzania exposes bare walls that lack shelves containing individual files, elaborate computers for billing purposes or any type of scheduling documents. If minor surgeries are needed they are performed but not in elaborate operating rooms. Rather dental chairs repurposed as makeshift operating tables in the examination room.
There are no prescriptions written at this clinic.The projected supplies needed are brought in by the visiting volunteer doctors. They are counted and thoughtfully dispensed as needed. When these supplies are gone, they are gone. Restocking will only occur as the next group of volunteers decides it is their turn to make a difference.
Next time I am bemoaning the need to see an easily accessible doctor for routine health care. I will remember the many people of Sakila and their arduous journey to get a much-needed diagnosis and health care.