Day Forty-Eight; Tuesday, April 22 '08

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Woke up and went to observe HIV Counseling at Hohoe District Hospital for placement. It was so interesting. To be tested for HIV it costs 50 pesewa (about 50 US cents) and results are read within 15 minutes. Believe me, it's a long 15 minutes. They make you sit in the room and you basically stare at the test with the nurse. I was able to sit in on three different tests and you literally sit there in silence for 15 minutes If results are read as positive, a second saliva test is given. If the second deems positive, counseling is immediately given to the patient.

I was actually pretty impressed with their counseling program. I observed a girl in the clinic who couldn't have been older than 16. She tested HIV positive. It was really depressing. I was able to sit in the room and observe the counseling process. They explained her medication order, which is about $5.00 a month and talked to her about how her life is not over because she has HIV.

After that girl left, a mother came in to be counselled on how to take care of her HIV positive daughter. Her daughter was sent to the hospital because she was unconscious and they didn't know what was wrong with her. They tested her and found out her case was actually pretty far along. They warned the mother about how imoprtant it is to be careful when bathing and cleaning open sores for her daughter.

After counseling I visited the ER and children's ward. The conditions at the hospital are absolutely terrible. Everything is old, torn, and more filthy than anything I've ever seen. I noticed that their drips for giving medication are done by a gravity-only basis, no electricity or machinery.

After lunch a bunch of us went to climb Afadjato and it was again spectacular. It seemed like a lot more work this time around.

It rained at night for the first time in awhile. It's really nice when things cool down.

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