We crossed the Meekong to visit Chomphet district hosiptal, there was only one patient when we arrived, Dad had hitched a lift and travelled 20 miles with his sick one year old. Heaps of friendly staff to welcome us and show us around. I find it a little curious that in contrast the UK, Laos has statistically worse health but empty wards, in the UK where we enjoy better health the wards are full to capacity, waiting times are on the up and GPs receive urgent memos about bed crisis after bed crisis asking us to avoid admissions!
Wondering if anyone fancies having their baby on this birthing bed?
The kids weren't shy at all here, they come running to the clinic to say hello.
We travelled on to visit outlying clinics, the rain started, the road got muddier and slippier, i now know the Lao word for slippy, m'un, we had 3 rivers to cross, first a wee stream, the second was wider, the driver rolled down his window and shouter for a kid to test how deep it was, i suggested we turned back, we didn't need a child to be washed away in a sterling effort to visit more clinics, the river was waist deep (small child sized) so the driver persisted, at the next hill the wheels were spinning, the local women on foot were taking of their shoes, preferring the better gripping bear foot option, we skidded off the road into a ditch, luckily into the mountainside rather than over the edge! The driver then said the 4 wheels drive wasn't working an we'd have to turn back, hurray!
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