|
Ceylon Christian Care |
|
News |
|
March 16th, 2006 Medical care in Periyaneelavanai Geriska Poortman
|
|
Dear friends,
Sri Lanka has a broad network of health care facilities. However, the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities are limited. Even the Teaching Hospital in Batticaloa, the biggest hospital in the Tamil area, has limited diagnostic possibilities. There are not many paediatricians in Sri Lanka. I have made contacts with the paediatrician in Batticaloa, and with physicians of the Base Hospital in the nearby town Kalmunai. |
|
Project for handicapped children In Sri Lanka there not many facilities for handicapped children. A few organizations are working in Batticaloa. In the area around Periyaneelavanai there are no facilities for handicapped children, while there is a need for such facilities. During my stay I have been able to set up a day care for mentally (and some of them also physically) handicapped children. My activities were: conversations with the parents, examination of the children, finding capable staff members, and making a program for this project and a training and education program for the new staff members. Vathany and I have spend hours at the court for the registration of the project. A real Srilankan experience, a good practice of my patience. But eventually we got permission to start with the day care. I also made contacts with other foreign organizations like Mencafep, Puhalidam and Handicap International to discuss the possibilities for cooperation. a) Home visits Together with Vathany and a translator I visited 12 families at home. Five families are living in a relief camp for victims of the tsunami. The mothers were telling us about the tsunami. On seeing the first wave they were able to run away, with their child on their arm, just before the following devastating waves came. Although they lost everything, they were able to bring their child to safety... |
|
Medical examination of the children At all the children of the Boys- and the Girls Home, I have done a medical examination including a hearing test and a vision test. Testing of hearing and vision, which is standard in The Netherlands, never happens in Sri Lanka. The children were all quite exited about the examination. Especially the girls were very curious about what was going to happen. Almost every hour a few girls came to bring me tea, so they could have a quick look in the room ... Most of the children are too small for their age, most likely due to malnutrition in the past. Some of the children had to be treated for a skin disorder. During the last visit in November we selected a dentist for the children. Meanwhile all the children have visited the dentist, for the first time in their life. |
|
The dentist |
|
Paediatric ward in Kalmunai |
|
Hearing test |
|
Vision test |
|
Examination of a 2-year old boy |
|
Vathany and Nivethika |
|
All the parents took their child to several doctors in the past, but none of the parents could tell me what the diagnosis of their child was. We heard many sad stories. One mother told that she was not allowed to see her child after birth, because the doctors thought the child would not survive. But the child did survive, and after 27 days she saw her child and could take him home. The boy now is 9 years old, mentally handicapped and spastic. The mother cried and asked me if the boy will be able to walk. Nobody ever explained her anything. |
|
We also saw twins: 9 years old, but far too small for their age. The parents are very poor. The children always eat rice and curry. They never get milk products. They have bowed legs, most likely caused by a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. Another problem is that the children never have been to school, because the parents have not registered their children after birth. We wanted to help this family, but admitting the children to our day care did not seem to be a good option, because the children must get the chance to go to school. Therefore, I asked the help of a willing neighbor. I asked her to take the mother to the birthplace of the twins to get a birth certificate, so that the children can go to school. I explained the mother and the neighbor that the children need milk every day, and that they should take the child with the severely bowed legs to Batticaloa for treatment. The neighbor, who was obviously less poor, promised also to help the family with food. In the next visits to Sri Lanka, we will visit this family again. In another family we saw a handicapped girl being tied up at the window with a rope around her ankle. For the parents, who lovingly take care of the child, this is a pure necessity. There are no other means for the parents to prevent the child from running away or hurting herself in the house. |
|
Measure for protection |
|
Geriska with the 8-year old Krishana |
|
b) Staff members and training program During our stay, we also employed 2 new staff members for working in the day care. The first one, Esther, is a woman with a lot of experience in working with handicapped children. Besides that, she speaks English very well, so that she translate me during my home visits in the future. The second new staff member is Nanthini, an 18 year old girl who has been living in the Girls Home for several years. Both women will follow a basic training of 2 weeks in the day care center of Mencafep in Nuwara Eliya. Nanthini will also work a few weeks in one of the day care centers of Puhalidam in Batticaloa before we start our day care. In the future, Esther and Nanthini will follow the updating courses of Puhalidam, and 2 times a year medical education during my stay in Periyaneelavanai. c) Program Day Care Center for handicapped children Because we do not want to take the children out of their home situation, we have chosen for a day care. In the afternoon the children will be brought back home. In the day care we will try to stimulate the development of the children, and to learn the children some basic skills, of course adapted to the possibilities of the child. At lunchtime the children will get a nutritious meal. The children will get medical care and the spastic children also physiotherapy. Together with the staff members I will perform home visits to the families for counselling of the parents twice a year. Start in April In April we hope to start the day care for the handicapped children; we are very thankful for that. I am also thankful for the support of Vathany, “my right-hand” during this working visit. I look back on a special time with many impressive moments. In this work I have experienced Gods help and guidance. I would like to ask you to pray for this new project and for all these children and families. Kind regards, Geriska Poortman |
|
Kanista with her mother |
|
Serijah with her mother |
|
9 years old... |