Children's Ward - Ella & Michaela

We (Ella and Michaela) spent last week on the Children’s Ward at Lewanika General Hospital. We learned a lot from our Zambian colleagues and were able to gain insight into their daily routine on the ward. Our day started off with morning rounds with the doctors, where we learned about several different conditions such as malaria, TB, fractures and malnutrition. We worked alongside the nursing students assisting with procedures and tasks throughout the day. We typically ended our shift doing play therapy with the children. Our wonderful friends who had previously worked on the ward the week prior had initiated play therapy with the children, so they were excited with anticipation of playing with bubbles and colouring! There are many children on the ward who were too weak to leave bed or had traction placed on a broken limb and needed interactive play therapy at their bedsides. Bubbles were a great way to get all the children bright eyed, and even had the parents laughing. The children were also very eager to colour. Some smaller children needed demonstrations, but once they started they loved it. Once all the pictures were coloured, they were hung on the walls above the children’s beds! It is incredible getting to see the children laugh and play following the stresses of morning rounds.

      One of the most memorable, yet challenging experiences we encountered on the ward was working in the PEM unit (protein, energy, malnutrition). It’s a small room with 6 or so beds, a few heaters, and several malnourished babies and children. We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with several experienced doctors and nutritionists who taught us the effects of malnutrition and the management of acute cases. Unfortunately, many of these children are malnourished due to limited resources or family health issues. We found these cases to be difficult, because neither of us have seen anything similar back home. We were keen to use play therapy with these children, chat with the mommas, and even give special attention to the little ones who were more ill.

While being on the ward we noticed that the children here in Mongu are very brave. During the doctors’ rounds, there are several dressing changes and other treatments that need to be done. Many older children endure these procedures showing little signs of pain, despite the lack of analgesia given due to shortage of resources. Although we encountered some challenging situations, we were proud to have been able to provide comfort and distractions through presence and play therapy.

              We were lucky enough to work along side the nursing students from Lewanika School of Nursing. It was also their first week on the unit, and we were able to learn together and from each other. We felt very welcomed on the ward by the students and staff. They were all enthusiastic to answer any questions we had and give us help if we needed. Overall, our week on the children’s ward was a unique experience and we are grateful for these learning opportunities.