After breakfast, we quickly made our way to World Hope since we were tagging along with the Mothers of Sierra Leone team to Gladys Koroma Memorial Hospital. It was a bumpy ride over, but thankfully everyone made it there in one piece. The hospital was in the middle of a small village, and many onlookers came to see our two teams pile out. We entered the hospital and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome. Professor Kramp, the PI from the Mothers of Sierra Leone documentary team, was well connected with the staff and had films to display from the year prior. The first film we all watched was about the head midwife and her passion and advocacy for maternal care. We then watched a second film about family planning.
Then, when the Mothers team left to gather more footage, Prof. Kramp introduced us to Sister Fatima, one of the midwives in charge of the clinic. However, upon explaining what we wanted to study, she immediately claimed that she had no knowledge about sickle cell disease and that we should come back on Saturday. When we tried inviting her students to engage in an interview, she said that they, like us, were just students and would be of no help. Not bringing Sulaiman was definitely a mistake since we could not overcome the language barrier and explained that we were, in fact, interested in interviewing students. Instead, she invited us to watch her administer malaria and typhoid drugs to a patient.
An hour or so passed, still without an interview, and the team was considering leaving. However, after she was done speaking with the Mothers team, the head midwife said that she only needed a few minutes and then she would be ready to talk to us.
In our interview, she reaffirmed a common theme about the importance of hands on practice and seeing patients firsthand. She was also very informed about family planning and the importance of educating young families. This seemed to tie in nicely with our educative mission; we believe that staying in touch with her will lead to good things, as she was intent on keeping her staff up to date. We would love to explore how we may be able to integrate SCD education in antenatal days, and we will be visiting on antenatal day this Saturday.
After returning with a small victory at Gladys Koroma, Joseph met us at World Hope. We let him look over some of our questionnaires and consent forms, and then we were on our way to Magbenteh Community Hospital.
Once we had everyone, we loaded into the land cruiser and drove over to Magbenteh Hospital, a private hospital funded by Switzerland. Driving through the gate, we were immediately floored by just how large the hospital grounds were. They had multiple buildings, which was very different from the examples of hospitals we had seen in days prior. Joseph Sesay had graciously arranged a meeting between us and a few lab technicians at the hospital, one of which used to be his student at the University of Makeni. We spoke with them about what they do as lab technicians and they told us they mainly handle orders that may come in from doctors and other healthcare staff for diagnosis and screenings. They all seemed very knowledgeable about sickle cell disease and expressed a disconnect between classroom theory and practical, hands-on experience. This was the first interview we had ever done with multiple people, and we’re happy to report it went quite well.
Shortly after this, one of the technicians recommended we speak to a person they referred to as the matron, who coordinates the staff in the department. We were told he makes sure everyone under him has the most updated knowledge, and that he has the power to call workshops in the event that there are any gaps in information among staff. We were very excited to speak with him, as this would be the exact type of person we’d need to speak to in order to implement an educational workshop in a healthcare setting like Magbenteh. We spoke at length about his background and what he does at the hospital. It was great to connect with such a knowledgeable group of people today at Magbenteh!
Although we’ve only been in Sierra Leone for a couple of days, one of the most frequent things we keep hearing during interviews is that people are unsure why we’re back again when the results from last year’s research have not been communicated to them. We agreed with this shortcoming and took full responsibility for it. We’re currently working on a way to keep our contacts in loop even when we’re back in the US. Part of this is compiling a list of their numbers and email addresses so it’s easily accessible for all members. We may also do widespread monthly newsletter batches in order to keep them updated on our progress.
Following our engaging interviews at Magbenteh Community Hospital, we thought we would be heading back to World Hope to gather and format all the information we obtained from the day. However, John, an accomplished administrator and statistician, spotted our presence and immediately expressed a genuine interest in our endeavor. He generously offered his assistance to facilitate a meeting with the hospital’s Medical Superintendent (MS), a pivotal figure in the healthcare landscape. We anticipate our upcoming meeting next week with the MS. With John’s guidance and the hospital’s warm reception, we were able to connect with many people, share our knowledge, and gain insights into the healthcare systems and how our device could potentially be integrated.
Entering the Sierra Leone marketplace was an incredible experience filled with dance-filled music and a variety of foods, goods, and clothes to purchase. Families showcased their goods, with kids lending a helping hand. The vibrant shops offered a plethora of unique handicrafts, spices, and a lively atmosphere. We explored the entire market, with Joseph by our side showing us around. In this widespread market area, there was a captivating and culturally rich experience.
After this, we found ourselves to be quite thirsty, so we headed to the gas station to grab some cold drinks. The gas station, filled with air conditioning, was a great place to recover from the heat of being out all day. We bought some mango juice, sprite, sodas, and other condiments.