A loyal four-year-old "customer" at the clinic

A month after returning to Hong Kong, I have gradually reintegrated into the cosmopolitan life here. Yet memories of Ethiopia remain fresh in my mind. I first met Weli, a four-year-old boy, in a tuberculosis clinic. That was the second time he received medication. He often contracted acute pulmonary infections, which caused him to visit us every fortnight. I decided to admit him so he could receive extensive antibiotic treatment. Hussein is Weli's twin brother. Also a TB patient at our clinic, he had a slightly bigger build. A very adorable boy, he was livelier and more energetic. Unlike Weli, his reaction to treatment was very good and almost finished. His brother Weli, always lying in bed, was upset. You could see it in Weli's eyes. One night, Weli had a high fever and difficulty breathing. We found him unresponsive so we gave him emergency treatment. Without oxygen tanks and oxygen delivery equipment, we could only do what we were capable of. I was worried that he might not survive the night. I wasn't able to sleep because I was afraid that the clinic may call me back to the hospital with the radio. Fortunately, that did not happen. The next morning, I raced back to the clinic. Weli's temperature lowered and he was more responsive to our staff. His recovery took weeks. Eventually, he smiled, recalling each of our names. It was pleasing to see him recover; to see him playing with Hussein and the other children. But it was only two months, not very long, before he returned with a more serious condition. In less than two months, he was sick again. This time we referred him to the nearest hospital for an X-ray. But the so-called "nearest" hospital was around six hours away by car. I remember this happened during the rainy season, the roads were so bad and even a 4x4 was impassable. It was not until three weeks later that Weli returned from that hospital to the clinic with his father. It was shocking to see someone who was already thin like him lose so much weight. I saw his feelings in his eyes again. We weighed him and discovered that he was suffering from severe malnutrition. He was not in good shape, nor was he in a good mood. For the past three weeks, he had been away from his mother and his twin brother, no wonder he was upset. Once again he was hospitalised. This time we saw his smile two months later, by then his brother' s TB treatment was already completed. It was time for their parents to bring the twins back to the village. After all, they had been away from home for half a year. It was hard to say goodbye, but I was happy to see them recover. By then, I had almost finished my mission. It was not until a few days before I left that Weli was readmitted, again with his grumpy look. On my last working day in Ethiopia, I gave him a goodbye hug only to see him upset and distressed. I will never forget the face of this four-year-old. Joyce

Dr. Joyce CHING, who graduated from HKU in 2002, has been a volunteer with MSF since 2005. In 2006, she was sent to Cherrati, Ethiopia to join an MSF tuberculosis treatment programme. She shares stories of this nine-month mission with us here.