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Olivia Yacoub – Medical Scientist, Monrovia, LIBERIA October 2006 - March 2007
Olivia Yacoub is a Medical Scientist from Adelaide. She has been on two missions with MSF, first working in our HIV/AIDS project in the Chiradzulu district of Malawi and then in the laboratory of the Mamba Point Hospital in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. I am now home after the most fulfilling year of my life, professionally, personally and spiritually. I could not have imagined that Liberia is now so peaceful after 15 years of brutal war. The UN Mission in Liberia is now in charge of security with some 15, 000 troops from 35 countries.
I have viewed many pictures of the wartime and am so thankful for the peace that is now being maintained. It is un-imaginable as you walk through the streets today that such atrocities took place so recently (just over 2 years ago). There are over 400 NGOs operating in Liberia. At the moment the country is almost completely reliant on aid but the people are being trained and are willing to learn in order to regain control. I was thankful for every minute that I spent in Liberia, my second mission with MSF. On the short walk to work each morning, I would marvel at the amazing culture. I would observe the busy people trying to build their lives. I was completely oblivious to the running raw sewage on our road, the rubbish heap in the foreground of our view of the beach from the house and the lack of running water, yet still mindful of the inadequate living conditions.
I have never encountered a more genuinely friendly and warm culture in my life. On arrival in Monrovia I felt instantly at ease and welcome. The laboratory was no exception. It is staffed by the most motivated, intelligent and hardworking group of people I have ever worked with. Mamba Point Hospital, in the heart the capital, Monrovia is solely run and staffed by MSF. It serves as an emergency surgery hospital with an emergency room, two operating theatres, surgical ward, medical ward and the pulse, the laboratory! We offered essential basic tests including blood grouping, haemoglobin, white cell count, blood film analysis, stool and urine microscopy, glucose, basic liver and renal function tests and various rapid kit tests for infectious diseases, malaria and TB screening.
The hospital was very well established and ran very smoothly. The resilience of the patients is amazing. The test results we were finding would never be believed from a patient in Australia. At the time of writing, the hospital is in the process of closure as it is no longer considered an emergency situation. It is widely understood and agreed that now is the time to discontinue service. Liberia is in the process of rising above the war and with time will grow. There are other large hospitals which are not quite up to standard but, in MSF’s absence, will have to fill the void. There is a great need for improved health care but this task will need to be addressed by the developmental NGOs. MSF is very highly regarded by the people and our continual presence during the entire war is very widely recognised. One can view the closure of the hospital as a sad time but in reality it is a milestone for Liberia in that the war is over and they will re-build and rise again. Read other articles on Liberia
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