More MX healthcare shocks

Every few weeks we hear another horror story. Last month it was the story of Pablo´s sister-in-law who had to have a 2nd surgery due to complications from the 1st. The first surgery had been in response to an ectopic pregnancy - fairly common. But the 2nd surgery was to remove a large ball of gauze that had been left in her abdomen. Inexcusable.

Last week we learned of a former Tzeltal missionary to the Lacandon Ladies´Society who had experienced hemorraging after giving birth. Since she gave birth at home, there was no real medical care at the time of the delivery, but when she was continuing to hemorrage 7-10 days later, she was taken to the hospital. At the hospital Lucy was given blood transfusion with a non-matching blood type. At last report they feared that she would die.

This week the subject was closer to Ginny´s area of expertise. A church member requested a counseling consultation after having disclosed to Holly that doctors believe her symptoms are mental not physical. Since she had a doctor's appointment the next day, Ginny encouraged her to keep the doctor's appointment to get a professional opinion to rule out cardiac problems. When she returned, we visited with her and learned more of her story. A likely sufferer of panic attacks and depression, this woman had been seen by a doctor and given 4 prescriptions. The target symptoms for these meds included anxiety, depression, seizures and schizophrenia. This was not a doctor who knew her, and he was prescribing meds outside of his area of expertise without referring her to a psychiatrist. The best case scenario would be that the woman gets some relief and spends hundreds of pesos for medicine (even if some of it she doesn't need). The worst case scenario is that she overdoses. In all likelihood, she would simply be overly medicated (and thus heavily sedated) and unable to make her way back to the doctor --- perhaps suffering, perhaps oblivious.

We remain overwhelmed by the continuing lack of professionalism in the healthcare system here. We love it here and love the people we have come to know, and so we are more and more personally invested in making sure that people here have a choice for better healthcare. Typically we have taken the position of trusting the local culture and avoiding the paternalistic model of missions (you know, the one that says "you know nothing, we know everything, let us show you the right way"). But when it comes to healthcare, a different approach seems necessary. Las Manos de Cristo staff will have many challenges ahead, including knowing how to challenge poor healthcare decisions for the sake of their patients and introduce better methods for the sake of saving lives.