Work, play, but no rest

The Haputale clinic

Monday 10 Jan 11 - Monday 10 Jan 11 18 °C
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The entire country is apparently suffering cold and wet weather, so perhaps we are not alone in shielding from the rain. While it poured in Haputale earlier today, the clinic was not disrupted.

I got up early, taking care to wake up Rosie and Shruti by opening our balcony door to save our shoes. We had put them outside last night to dry out, a shocking idea, as although the wind may have dried them out, the rain made them even wetter than they were originally. As such they were a write-off for today’s clinic.

The advance crew left early, not before meeting Skanda, a recently retired CEO and previous secretary of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board. He was a very eloquent and amusing man who has only recently moved to the hill country and is already involved in charity work. By coincidence, he knew Kushil Gunesekara very well from his cricketing days, and he assured me I’d have a great time in Seenigama (not that I needed any assurance).

He also brought us a copy of The Nation, an English language Sunday newspaper, which had a full page story on Mum and the rest of the family, which the woman herself refused to read.

The Haputale District Hospital only took a bit setting up before we were off and running. Unfortunately the first batch of patients seemed to be relatives of hospital staff, and the doctors didn’t feel like they were seeing the really sick patients. In fact, Dr. Hans said it was the worst clinic so far because of this very reason. But once Des took control, the clinic started getting back on track (or so he says) and from lunchtime onwards we were cruising, with Wendy as the chief pharmacist’s primary assistant.

Waiting to see the doctors

Taking a break at the Haputale clinic

The queue at Haputale

Most of the group who weren’t sick (at least four people have fallen sick today) went to a tea factory and plantation just out of town, while the rest of us finished up the clinic.

Back at the Plaza, we organised a combined party for Liam’s 16th birthday and to farewell the Welsh contingent that are going back to Colombo tomorrow. Richard made a very funny speech thanking all of us, and making a couple of particularly amusing remarks including his final line: “I’d just like to say, without the input of the medics, I think the clinics would’ve run a lot more smoothly.”

The Welsh contingent at Haputale