When There is No Doctor

This weekend was supposed to be a fun, laid back, girls` weekend on the beach, but instead we found ourselves arguing with police, befriended by the armed forces, and most importantly, searching for a doctor.

We decided to spend the weekend in Amapala, a small island off the South coast of Honduras. While Amapala does not offer much in the form of tourism, it has become a convenient hub for international volunteers and locals alike looking for a break from the heat and dust of the summertime.

Arriving in the afternoon, we decided to head straight for the beach. Our group split into two moto taxis, four in one taxi and three of us behind. About half way to the beach, we saw a white pick up approaching- it was going fast and swerving in and out of the middle of the road. From the second taxi, we saw the crash. The moto taxi was tipped over, our friends inside. While the moto was quickly put upright and most people were able to get up or out on their own- we soon realized we needed a doctor.

Universal laws of accidents:

• People flock: within a minute of the accident there had to have been 60 people crowded around us, most of whom really didn`t plan to do much more than watch
• Some one tries to take off: In this case it was the (drunk) driver of the pick up that hit our friends
• There are always good samaritans: The Armed Forces came to our rescue, providing a taxi driver (yes, we got straight back into a moto taxi) who served not only as a guide, but a huge support

We decided to split up: one group looked for a doctor, while our group ¨worked with the police.¨ We quickly learned that the police were not going to be very helpful- they took the names, ages, and countries of origin of the people in the accident and then told us to ¨go to the beach.¨ When we were free to go, we when to the clinic, only to find the island`s only doctor wasn`t in. Instead, we found the doctor in front of a posh hotel, not to be interrupted from his blackberry. He said he would meet up with us later, but he said that the closest clinic with x ray was an hour and a half away by bus on the mainland. (By this point the last boat and bus had left.) After getting word that our friends were at the Armed Forces base, we headed up the mountain and got there in time to reconnect before they evacuated our friends to the mainland in a private boat. Luckily, they had driven in car and would be able to get to a private clinic. (Public clinics and hospitals are closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays!!!) The rest of us stayed and further conversed with police and Armed Forces reps about possible next steps and judicial proceedings. (Amapala`s doctor never showed up.)

• Had we been in the States or Canada, everyone would have received basic medical attention within 30 minutes of the accident, reports would have been taken, and there would be a concrete process to move forward.
• Here it took nearly four hours for our friends to get to a clinic that was open, no formal reports or testimonies were taken, and no criminal charges will be pressed unless the doctor specifies that one of the invididuals involved required more than 10 days of incapacity.

I continue to ask myself what would have happened if we were not foreigners? How long would it have taken us to get medical care? Would the Armed Forces have helped us? If the accident had been more severe, would we have been able to wait to receive medical attention?

Thank goodness that after a night in a private clinic, our friends are now home to rest with no serious, long term injuries- WHEW! It was a long weekend and a difficult lesson in what it means to truly lack access to health care. Even if I am not a huge proponent of our current health care system, I am grateful that it exisits!! (Because the doctor did not perscribe formal days of incapacity, no formal charges will be able to be pressed, and the driver will mostly likely go home today!)

Unfortunately, lack of access to medical care is not isolated to islanders. As most Hondurans live in small, rural communities, access to timely emergency care is all but none exisitant. Community members with pick ups (or horses in extreme cases) are relied upon to be make shift ambulances- traveling upwards of 6 hours to get to the nearest hospital.

**Thank you to the Armed Forces and Noe, a kind taxi driver, both of whom continue to stay in touch and assist us in any follow up from afar**