After our journey from Catarman, the group convened at Mayor Madeleine's lovely home for refreshments and instructions for the rest of the day. We were given housing assignments and then dismissed long enough to meet our hosts and drop off bags.
Six of us were assigned to the home of Antonieta "Ann" Irinco who lived just a few doors away from the Mayor's. Our housemates included Karen (endocrine surgeon), Brad (nurse anesthetist), and nurses Susan and Debbie.
We soon learned that we could not have asked for a more gracious or generous hostess.
After a quick lunch, the team piled into vans or motorized tricycles that transported us to Tan Memorial Hospital for the first time.
Bags and boxes of medical supplies and equipment awaited us!
Our team took over the entire operating wing, which consisted of two operating rooms, a recovery room, two toilets, a makeshift pharmacy, sterilization room, pathology lab, and supply room. We spent a long, hot afternoon unpacking, sorting and setting up all of these spaces so that patient care could officially begin.
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO) made a site visit during the week. Report pending.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that you created a hospital in such a short time! How did all six of you fit in Ann's house? I imagine you had some cozy quarters for those two weeks.
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