We had a bright early start this morning with breakfast at 7 a.m.! Crazy right?! But it was so worth it because we had the amazing opportunity to go to a new hospital that not even Dr. Northrup nor Dr. Rust had been to previously. The hospital was located in Totonicapan, just outside of Xela. It is a rural hospital that was kept up very nicely; however, due to its location not many people can get to it. We did basic inventory of the hospital as well as had a tour of all the different units: ICU for neonates, malnutrition room, child respiratory room, general pediatrics room, pre and post operation rooms for children and adults, and a few more. There was a lab, x-ray room, laundry room, sterilization room, and even a sewing room where they made all the bed sheets.
On the way back to Xela we gave a ride to Dr. Sam Love. He is working at the hospital for a month while completing his residency back in the States. It was pretty cool to actually talk to someone from America who had the same goals as we did. He also gets bonus points for suggesting this amazing restaurant with an incredible view of the city (the picture does not do it justice).
After the spectacular view from the restaurant we hurried back into the van to make it just in time for Dr. Rust to give a presentation at the first hospital we visited in Xela. The presentation was geared towards the maintenance staff at the hospital. Dr. Rust’s main topic was pertaining to the maintenance of the equipment in the hospital rather than fixing what is broken. It is better to maintain the medical devices and prolong their life rather than repairing the devices, which takes money and access to parts which are at a minimum here in Guatemala.
The maintenance staff seemed extremely appreciative of Dr. Rust’s talk and the Director of the hospital thanked Dr. Rust and the rest of our group for coming, gaining an understanding of their situation and helping their staff gain knowledge of how to better maintain the equipment in the hospital. The hospital then treated us to some orange juice and cake as a special thank you. It was very delicious and every plate was left empty. After finishing our work in the hospital, we took some photos with our new friends. It was a very nice experience and showed how greatly they appreciated us being there.
After we returned to the hotel where we rested for an hour, we headed out for dinner at Utz Hua for a second time. The dinner was just as delicious as last time and everyone was satisfied. We then returned to the hotel for the night, but not before taking a small detour to look at some of the amazing 19th century architecture in the town. The buildings were amazingly crafted and Dr. Steve Northrup made us stop to see an extremely old, handcrafted door nearby our hotel. It was all an amazing sight to see. We can’t wait to tell you all about our adventures tomorrow!
