Reflections on the program by Dr. Bruce

Dr. Bruce teaching on parasites & worms

Todays following blog is from Dr. Bruce. He has been a big help to the program this year and done a great job. He left this morning and leaves us is thoughts in this blog. 

"This is the first time that I have taught at the a Barefoot Doctors program in Thailand.  I wasn’t sure what to expect and wasn’t too sure that I would be able to relate to the students. I worried about the language barrier and about the students abilities to learn the material sufficiently to go back to their villages and make a positive impact.   It should be noted that I am 63 and I’m not very tolerant of the immaturity and drama of young people in the US.  Our youth pastor in Colorado recently asked me to go with the youth group to Mexico.  I said, “Jim, I don’t even like young people and can’t stand all their drama”.

As I rubbed shoulders with the Barefoot Doctor students, I was blown away.  These young people are very mature, smart, and dedicated.  They quickly grasp the principles that are taught and ask the kind of questions that only inquisitive students ask.  They read their assignments and are prepared for each lesson.
But most of all, I’m impressed with their love for the Lord.  They love to worship, sing, and pray.  

I’m absolutely convinced that their villages in Burma will be impacted by their newfound knowledge and by their desire that others come to Christ.  They are the lighthouse on a hill shining, piercing the darkness in a very lost and troubled nation.

Bruce Gross
Salida, Colorado"

Dr.Bruce having out with the guys.

CPR and student presentations

Friday and today we had more student presentation on medications. This helps them learn the information better and breaks up teaching a little.

Student presentation

We used the 3 students who had to have some teeth removed as patients today. They needed some sutures removed from the teeth extractions. We projected the suture removal from an iPhone to the overhead project so all could learn from this real life experience. The last student was even brave enough to let one of the other students do the procedure rather than the U. S. doctors. All went well.

student presentation 

Student Presentation

After that Dr. Bruce educated & trained them on CPR and choking emergencies. They had fun with the hands on practice with CPR dummies and all the instructors took a station. Sadly, one student shared how this training was so impactful because she witnessed a tragedy related to this topic. She was invited to witness childbirth by a friend as an educational experience. When the baby was born it was not breathing. The person who was helping to deliver the baby started blowing around the outside of the baby’s mouth, not into the mouth. The baby died. What we consider simple knowledge of CPR and rescue breathing would have likely saved this baby's life. A large number of babies are not breathing when they are first born but simply need help getting started. This training will help save lives.

Practicing CPR

BBQ Thai style and starting the final week

Getting the log books

The log book

Today started the last week of the Barefoot Dr. medical training.  The focus will be on putting it all together. Friday we issued them the logbooks to track the patients they see, the diseases, and the treatments. The completed logbooks will be the basis for next year's training. This will ensure we are training them on issues they actually see in their areas.

Sorting medications.

The final shipment of medications came in on Friday and we spent some time sorting them out into separate kits for the students. Unfortunately there is no word on the “Cure Kits” that have been stuck in customs for over a month. We cannot wait for them any longer and must assume they are not going to be released.  This is such a shame and waste.  Fortunately, the life-saving and prescription medications were ordered here in Thailand weeks ago and have been received.

Pill identification

This week will also focus on ensuring the students know the medications very well including pill identification as well as the actual bottles they will receive. The brand names can look different then the actual drug name so it is important to study with the actual pills they will have.

BBQ

BBQ

BBQ Thailand style! Friday night we took time to celebrate and get to know each other better as we shared a BBQ together.   Pungsar, the fabulous cook here, put on a great meal. Including fresh pork, fresh vegetables, rice, sticky rice, spicy salsas, fresh fruit for desert, and of course mountain tea. It was delicious and a great time.

Eating together

Enjoying a song after the BBQ

 

 

Pungsar, the resident chef. 

Home made crutches

Nurse Betty's last day

 Goodbye to nurse Betty. Betty did a great job teaching and was also a blessing to the students by offering treatment to them in the evenings. We hope she will be able to join us again next year. 

Dr. Bruce's handout on skin problems.

Dr. Bruce teaching on skin issues

Dr. Bruce handed out an excellent booklet with pictures on skin issues they may see. Everyone was itching after his lecture. 

Practicing Blood Pressure.

Practicing blood Pressure

As part of the class they learn to improvise with what they have in the village. They do not need to buy expensive devices if they can make them. This student made these crutches over the weekend! He did a great job and probably the best pair made in any Barefoot Dr. class to date. He did not use tree branches as in the past but found some wood and nails. He even rounded the edges down.

Home made crutches

This student made the crutches over the weekend.

Traditional beliefs and modern improvements

Student presentation on medication. 

In some of the villages of Burma they believe that if a women touches cold water after birth she will get sick. The education of the Barefoot Dr students that germs cause illness not cold water will help many people. Many villages do not have access to heated water unless it is warmed over a fire.  So avoiding cold water to bathe may mean not bathing or staying clean as much as they should right after giving birth. If they do not get clean the risk of infection increases significantly.

Another tradition in some of the villages is to cover the mother’s skin with Turmeric after giving birth. This probably does nothing to help but will also not be harmful so we did not discourage this tradition. Our job is to educate on facts not change their culture. In fact the goal of this program is to enhance their quality of life while preserving their unique culture and not change it to a western model.

One shocking and good development is that 9 of the student reported having government-sponsored midwives in their villages! In the past there were none. This is real progress. The students will attempt to work with any other healthcare workers in their areas and do not want to be seen as competition but as allies.

Attached is a picture of shocking news to us that most of the students villages now have their children vaccinated against polio and other childhood illnesses! This is great news and never happened with our past students. The audience response system allows us to get this important information very quickly from all the student at one time. This would take an unreasonable amount of time to poll the students on all these topics without this audience response system.

Dr. Bjorn shocked at the improved vaccination rate for polio!

New Doctors Arrive to Teach

The group outside class.

The Barefoot Dr. training program is off to another busy week. We had two new instructors join us this week. Dr. Susan McDowell and Dr. Bruce Gross will be taking on much of the teaching the final two weeks of this program.

Dr. Bruce Gross teaching.

Dr. Susan McDowell

Dental education is always an important subject. Unfortunately, we do not have any dentist to help with the Barefoot Dr. training. This is a huge need in the villages of Burma. The medical instructors did a great job educating on dental hygiene and how to treat infections. There were 3 of the students who had dental needs so severe that they needed to be sent to a dentist in Chiang Mai Thailand. They had to miss some class to get some teeth extracted. As usual, we used the cases to educate the rest of the class. If you look at the pictures of two of the teeth extracted you can see why this could not wait. The need for extraction and the pain the students had after will help the rest of the class know the importance of prevention. It also taught them how to manage post extraction pain and care.

Tooth extracted from student.

tooth extracted from student 

Student presenting on a medication. 

The bulk of the medications came in on Tuesday! We are still waiting for a few things but should have them well before the students go home. Unfortunately, the “Cure kits” that were sent from USA with so many of the non-medications medical supplies are stuck in customs in Bangkok. Please pray we get the Cure Kits to the students and released from Thai Customs.

Medication arrived!

Sun church (on KLC campus)

Everyone after church

Pastor/translator Timothy preaching.

Students singing at church.

Sunday was a nice relaxing morning with a simple but powerful church service. Just the students, teachers and local leaders. It is amazing how good the students are at singing. All they had was their voices and a guitar but it sounded awesome. Real genuine worship. I tried to post a video but it would not work. Attached are a few pictures to give an idea.

The most powerful part were the 2 testimonies from the students. One was about how he has wanted to be a Barefoot Dr. for many years but he was never on the list of accepted students. Through many hard times he almost gave up and then heard the good news that he was accepted this year! It was still a difficult road to get here between long travel and financial concerns but he made it. The experience only deepened his faith in God and he is so excited to be here! This level of excitement helps ensure he will stick with these duties as a Barefoot Dr. many years into the future.

Student testimony of Gods protection.

The second student testimony was about a very scary experience. She worked in the new capital city of Naypyidaw. The city is known for its very sparse population and she describes streets that are empty in the evenings. One such evening she was walking by herself leaving work. She saw something up ahead and thought it was a dog because she did not have her glasses. As she got closer it turned out to be 3 teenage boys who started to harass her. They started to follow her and continued harassing her slowly becoming more aggressive. She remembered a Bible verse that tells us to be strong in our faith of God and he will be with us. She was praying desperately as there was no one around and she knew there was not going to be anyone else to help her. Suddenly one of the boys said to the others, “she has a knife!” “We might get something from her but she could cut us.”  The boys stopped the pursuit and she was safe. The miraculous part was that she did not have a knife only her cell phone in her hand. She is convinced that God protected her and made the boys see a knife. The very next day and at the same time there was a man who the boys attacked and they robbed him of his cell phone, watch, and whatever else they could get. 

The experience deepened her faith and dedication to get the Barefoot Dr. training to help others.

 

Another delicious meal together after church.

Night Bazaar

View looking into the truck/bus

Saturday night all the students and a couple of us instructors went to the Night Bazaar in the city of Chiang Mai. We all piled into two yellow “buses” but really they are covered pickup trucks with benches built in. It was fun to do some shopping and visit the night market. It is a rare experience for most of the students, so very exciting. Jung, the local director, treated them to ice cream! Spirits are high again although the students are missing their homes.

Riding the truck/bus to the night bazaar. 

Riding the truck/bus to the night bazaar.

View looking out the open back of the truck/bus

Students at the night bazaar

Game night

Friday night everyone took some time out to relax and play games. A good time was had by instructors and students alike.

Get the right number in the group.

Balloon stomping game for the boys.

Singing before we eat.

Skeleton in the closet

We found a skeleton in the closet

News Flash- Christian Village Heath Education program has a “skeleton in the closet!”

Sorry, mainstream media, no dirt here. You see, the teaching skeleton or what is left  of him, has been missing for several weeks since the Barefoot Dr. training program began. No one knew where he was. Then we discovered a locked metal cabinet but no one could find the key. Late Friday night the decision was made to break into the closet and there he was. Now Javier, as the skeleton is known, can take his rightful place on the wall of the classroom. It is actually an important part of the education as it gives a chance for tactile learning and not just visual. We do our best to use all different types of teaching techniques to facilitate the best learning environment. This includes audio, visual, tactile, and interaction. 

Javier hanging out in the classroom.

Student excited to see the skeleton.