Sabaidee!!
My name is Yoshida, a Laos project nurse who has resumed my activities.
I returned to Japan in April last year due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, but I resumed activities at Japan Heart in December.
Laos has taken measures to curb the spread of the pandemic such as enforcing isolation as well as barring international flights. Therefore, I am currently working in the paediatric ward of Japan Heart Children’s Medical Center in Cambodia.
Currently, my Laos related duties are receiving reports about the medical activities in Laos and checking on patient conditions. We are also making preparations for the time that our work on the ground in Laos can be resumed.
The route I took to Cambodia was from Narita Airport in Tokyo via Incheon Airport in South Korea. Most of the shops in the airport were closed and there were very few people. Some people were wearing full body protective clothing and the airport had the air of a “forgotten city from the future” that you might see in a sci-fi movie!
For the first two weeks in Cambodia, I had to quarantine in a hotel in Phnom Penh. Many patients have been hospitalised because until recently, Dr Yoshioka had been staying at the hospital on a surgical mission.
Most of the children in the paediatric ward where I am working are undergoing chemotherapy and are hospitalised long term. The longer you work in Cambodia, the deeper your relationship becomes with them.
This is my fourth time in Cambodia, but I can hardly speak Khmer. Even so, the children can show their understanding through pictures and gestures. What’s more, the children spoke to me with simple Cambodian words so that I could easily understand. I am fascinated by their smiles and rich expressions.
Currently, there are around 30 patients receiving chemotherapy. They are all close with each other because of they’ve been hospitalised together for a long time. Their mothers also cooperate with each other and take turns to look after one another’s children.
Some of the children come to the ICU every day to visit their chemotherapy buddies when they are recovering from surgery.
I’ve only been staying here for one month, but there have been days when I have faced difficult situations.
In Laos, there are patients who have difficulty in continuing treatment in the future.
“Sometimes we can’t save them”
Just as Japan has its limits, the limits in Southeast Asia are even stricter.
We believe that medical care is not just about saving lives. However, even if you understand it in your mind, it is often difficult to keep up with your feelings.
Keep an eye on death, accept the fact that some cannot be saved and what to do when the time comes.
The Laos project is planning new paediatric medical activities in the near future.
Laos has the highest mortality rate for children under 5 in Southeast Asia, with 27 children dying every day as of 2018.
If you go to Laos, both joy and harsh reality will await you. With that in mind, I would like to work together with Lao staff so that the treatments and plans that have stagnated due to COVID-19 can move ahead quickly, and that medical care can be brought to those who are waiting.
Please come to Laos when the pandemic is over and we can accept volunteers.
Laos Project Nurse Yoshida