Dispensaries: Idete and Idunda

Tomorrow is a trip to two dispensaries, Idete and Idunda.  Idunda is the companion of our church, St. James in Burnsville.

The dispensary at Idunda does not really qualify as a dispensary for government approval.  For one, it is too small.  We will need to see it enlarged to qualify.  I have seen the plan suggested by my friend Dr. Saga.  It would enlarge the current small building, which you see pictured here.

Idunda's Dispensary

Idunda does have an accompanying nurse residence and a nurse, who does a great job at her level of training.  She has been there a couple years and we are lucky to have her.  We are bringing about $500 worth of medicines and supplies.  That should be about four months worth.  This year, St. James has provided $500 of funding.  In the past couple years, some of our members have privately funded it and have done so again this year as well.  We will see if there are any other contributions!

Bricks and mortar, Tanzanian style

We saw Idete last year when they were putting on the finishing touches to the dispensary.  If I can find a photo or two, I will include them.  I would guess the Ideteans think it is deluxe. (I made Ideteans up.  I think I like Idundans too.)  Well, I do know compared to their old digs, the dispensary is deluxe.  And now Lake Park has done it again by providing some more equipment and supplies for Idete.  They are great!  Idunda will be very happy with some soft goods and we will carry the meds there as well.

Nearly complete!

I will travel with Lake Park too.  It is a grueling trip.  Idunda is only 100 KM away, but takes about 4 hours on a good day.  I heard there was rain in Kilolo, which is on the way to both Idete and then Idunda.  This does not bode well for a speedy trip. The first time we went to Idunda, we got sooooo stuck!  Awwww.  Couldn’t have been that bad… we lived to tell about it!

Last summer I drove to Idunda.  Here are some things that are relevant.  I love my Ford Explorer.  I love the four-wheel drive.  Of course, it is an automatic.  So was my Nissan 350Z.  I haven’t had a stick since we had a little Mitsubishi Tredia Turbo, one of daughter Carly’s favorite cars.  Our vehicle to Idunda was a big Toyota 4x4 Land Cruiser with a stick shift.  It didn’t matter that Tanzanians drive on the left – there wasn’t a “left” or “right”, only a middle, when there was a road at all.  So the roads to Idunda are treacherous without rain or mud.  I earned my Tanzanian Driving Knighthood by completing this trip, granted by my wife, Queen Roberta.

I now get to drive this big, luxurious stick-shift Toyota Land Behemoth, I mean Land Cruiser, around town, but I do see another driving trip to Idunda in my future.  By the way, using your left hand to shift goes much easier than you might guess.  But the turn signal is on the wrong side, so I am still turning on the windshield wipers to signal my turn.  Only occasionally am I driving on the right side of the road, which is the wrong side of the road.  Another three months of practice and I should be pretty good.  I am already an above average driver, like 80% of all drivers claim.   Oh, wait.  I am only here for two months!

There are bound to be stories told about this upcoming trip.  As far as I know I am not driving….

Just before we left for Tanzania, I joined a task force of the Minnesota Academy of Family Practice (MAFP), chaired by my friend and former Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) student, Dr. Rick Horecka on Single Payer Insurance.  For full disclosure, I want you to know I am in favor of single payer insurance.  This would be like “Medicare for all.”  If you are not convinced that would be a good thing, just as any person on Medicare if they would like to go back to other insurance.  They won’t.  But this isn’t about that.

Rick has a son who may join us to seek a volunteer experience.  I am in the process of exploring some options for him.  In the process, I have been asking the wazungu (white) young people I have run across here in Iringa about possibilities.  I have run across a raft of them who have been very critical of the organization that recruited them.  This is primarily due to poor organization, too short volunteer stays, lack of continuity of projects and poor direction.  Hmmm.  Seems like an opportunity!

My friend Dan McIntyre is very interested in teaching at the Iringa Diocese (DIRA) schools.  They need ESL.  We could do that!  I am wondering if BKB has the infrastructure to organize such an experience.  I don’t know.  I will be thinking about this.  Currently, we already have a couple young men doing such work.

Stay tuned for the next adventure in rural Tanzania!  (My friend Jim Springrose often quoted author Calvin Rutstum, “Only fools have adventures.”