Hygiene, Human Rights and HIV

As part of my VSO work, I have recently been preparing a bid for some funding to improve the general hygiene of both the staff and the hospital environment. As part of this project, I’m preparing some before and, hopefully, after photos which are proving interesting. Maybe, I will hold a competition for which ward has the dirtiest sink? Winner gets a bottle of bleach?

Ward sink ready for use?!

 Another example of the present state of the ward sinks.

Ideally, these will improve when we get some clean mops, detergent, bins, towels and soap. I’m also trying to get tools for Chris to have a go at mending the sinks. Lucky chap!

Sink has been used for mopping but is blocked- can you unblock it Chris?

 On our way back from taking photos my new VA Thol spotted a bed under the hospital which we then realised had a patient in it:

HIV patient placed under the hospital - because he smells.

We enquired about this and were told that the patient had HIV/Aids and had a very bad smell and no wife (as she divorced him) to care for him so they put him away from the other patients under the hospital, next to a building site and general thoroughfare. We asked at the ward managers meeting was there not somewhere better, as the poor patient care reflected badly on the hospital never mind the lack of basic human rights: privacy dignity etc. There are no single rooms and it was felt this was the only place.

An improvement of sorts- screens now placed around the bed.

Note this photo taken from the public walkway.

The ward staff did then move the bed to a slightly cleaner area and did put screens around him but he was still outside, under the hospital. I bought some water to wash his face and dripped water into his mouth. This felt woefully inadequate as he needed a bed bath, change of clothes, clean sheets, comfortable bed, lip salve etc. etc. etc. But there were no clothes, sheets, water etc. A woman paid for by YWAM, a Christian organisation, helped give care as he had no family, (the usual care givers in hospital) but there was little she could do at this stage in his health deterioration.

By then he was semiconscious and thankfully died that night, no doubt alone apart from the creatures that roam under the hospital.  Just when you think you have seen it all the lack of care, dignity and privacy continues to shock at times. 

YWAM are just finishing the building of a small ward for HIV patients at the hospital which has white, clean tiles, fans and toilets so hopefully this will be the last poor soul to die like this at least here in Stung Treng hospital.

The Fantastic, lovely new ward ready for it's first patients- even the old beds have been given a coat of paint.

Cambodia has an accepted culture of men going to bars and being ‘entertained’ by ‘beer girls’ –this is where they catch HIV. Many NGOs are working with the government to change this culture but it is still very acceptable behaviour at present.