Medcap in Peleaw

Went on a medcap yesterday in this small remote area of Peleaw. How remote was it? Well, so remote that we had to be "inserted" via a helo. It was my first helicopter ride in my life. I thought it was very exciting!I looked so funny with the helmet,goggles and vest on.Again, I will try to send a picture when I can. One of the doctors joked about how the locals view these helos. When they land, all the people come running out to the field(looks like some sort of soccer field) and all the chickens, cows and goats run in the opposite direction. It is quite comical to watch!

I was at this location on the 3rd day of the medcap, so the locals were accustomed to seeing us, they were also sad to see us leave. The site was set up in a clinic, and the local officials were there to coordinate the care given.Their nurses set everything up for us and coordinated the patient administrative stuff.Also, the medication formulary was approved by them prior to our arrival. There was a real feeling of cooperation amongst the several nations present, in the care that was delivered. I saw people from 3 months to 82 years old. Not sure how many patients I saw, but they kept coming and I just kept seeing them! There were all sorts of skin rashes, old injuries, respiratory illnesses, etc... Some of the illnesses were specifiic to this area and many were sort of generic, same as we see back home. Yes, they have many people with metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes..etc. Did I mention the KFC in the mall at Ambon? Can't blame it all on America's influence though. Their diet is high fat and high carb as well. They seem to fry many things here(fish, banana, eggs etc...).Of course they also eats lots of white rice... morning noon and night. I also noticed that most of the men smoke cigarettes and many men and women chew betel nut. The betel nut stains their teeth an ugly reddish-brown, most of the adults show evidence of this. I hear it is addictive and somewhat of a stimulant. If it weren't for the staining of the teeth, I may have tried it. But no way would I want my teeth looking like that!
It was a productive day and also a tiring one. I have one more medcap tomorrow and am looking forward to it. Vanessa will also be going, this is the first one we will be on together. We will write more after returning. After that, things will be starting to "wrap-up" and we will be on our way to Australia! We are already planning our itinerary. All for now!