Newcastle

     The blog today starts with last night where we had dinner with Duncan Andrews the director of Tandanani, the ngo we visited the first week, which does community development, and Robyn Hemmens, the director of Dlalanathi, an ngo which does psycho-social counselling, including children who have recently lost a caregiver.  Dinner stretched to 3 hours as these dedicated and interesting people told us of how they have a cooperative relationship for their work and for fundraising.  Robyn grew up in a very vulnerable situation,  and only having been befriended by an American social worker and being an exchange student in Iowa, did she find herself.  She was an activist for the end of apartheid and then spent several years working with street girls, before starting her present position.  In all, 2 remarkable people who have dedicated their lives to helping others.
     This morning Jamil and I and Hennie flew up to Newcastle in a Flying Doctors, 9 p assenger aircraft.  The flight lasted about 45 minutes, and was quite comfortable.  We were acoompanied by Dr.Graham Ducais, head of neonatology at Grey's Hospital who I met in April.  Graham is one of the most passionate [ep[;e I have ever met, and the quintessential teacher.  He is constantly teaching and has caused many reforms in neonatal care.  Newcastle is a mining area, and Newcastle Hospital is the former white hospital in the area.  The physical structure is excellent.  The hospital partners in many ways with Mandanani Hospital, in the neighboring community, which was the former black hospital.  Newcastle Hospital sports an excellent neonatal unit and the hospital receives all high risk pregnancies.  There is one pediatrician who is helped by 4 general practitioners who minimal pediatric training.  This to cover a large nursery and a 40 bed ward.  The nursing staff was cheerful and cooperative.
     We then drove 15 minutes to Mandanani Hospital which was  truly depressing.  The building was old and in poor repair, the nurses aloof and surly, and the 3 general practitioners who covered  the 50 pediatric beds and nursery seemed burned out.  There are no pediatricians, and care seemed poor.  Such a sharp contrast in 2 hospitals so close together.  Thbis seems very common here and our days have alternated between days of surprising hopefulness and depressing hopelessness.
     Larissa spent her day observing adolescents to learn more about their play habits.  Tonight, Jamil meets with the emergency committee of the 3 Pietermaritzburg Hospitals to discuss his experiences during our stay.
Marty