{"id":3414,"date":"2015-09-15T00:43:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-15T04:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=3414"},"modified":"2018-04-20T17:10:02","modified_gmt":"2018-04-20T21:10:02","slug":"from-huntsville-to-pakistan-local-physician-provides-care-overseas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/from-huntsville-to-pakistan-local-physician-provides-care-overseas\/","title":{"rendered":"From Huntsville to Pakistan: local physician provides care overseas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Roy Kirkpatrick, local physician and surgeon, occasionally suspends his practice in Huntsville to help patients in need around the world.<\/p>\n

In the spring he travelled to Hangu, a town in northwest Pakistan, 230 kilometres west of the country\u2019s capital, Islamabad, and 100 kilometres east of the Afghanistan border for a one-month stint with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)<\/a> or Doctors Without Borders.<\/p>\n

<\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a region with a history of volatility and religious tension and the MSF\u2019s original work there was focused on aiding victims of violence,\u201d said Dr. Kirkpatrick. In the mid-80s, civil unrest caused many of the well-off people in the area, those who had the means to leave, to head for safer areas, he said. That included many of the local hospital\u2019s doctors. MSF entered into an arrangement with the local health department to provide medical staff to fill in the gaps. \u201cThe volatility has diminished over time and many people have returned to the area so the project is actually winding down.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there is still need.<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick worked in the hospital\u2019s emergency department. Surgeons stationed there are on call 24\/7 for the duration of their stay and perform urgent or emergency procedures and care. \u201cEarly on, the midwives at the hospital recognized that there were obstetrical complications that would benefit from surgical intervention, so the MSF surgeons assigned there do many Caesarean sections.\u201d He did a total of 24 of them while in Hangu.<\/p>\n

He also saw a range of problems that he doesn\u2019t normally see in his every-day practice. Kirkpatrick was surprised at the number of burned children \u2013 largely a result of home accidents in close living quarters \u2013 he saw and realized that, even as an experienced doctor, he still had much to learn about treating burns.<\/p>\n

Communication proved to be a challenge in treating patients, as well. The region\u2019s primary languages are Pashto and Urdu and all of Kirkpatrick\u2019s patient encounters were via a translator or sometimes two. \u201cI recall an Afghani woman who spoke Pashto. There was an Afghani nurse working at the time who spoke both Pashto and Urdu but didn\u2019t speak English very well and a Pakistani nurse who spoke Urdu and English but not Pashto. So I talked to the Pakistani nurse who translated for the Afghani nurse who translated for the patient. It was like that game \u2018telephone.\u2019 It\u2019s harder to emote when you\u2019re communicating that way and nuances on both sides get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr,<\/a>

Dr, Roy Kirkpatrick in traditional local garb, a shalwar kameez<\/p><\/div>\n

MSF is sensitive to cultural norms wherever they provide care. Local garb is mandatory \u2013 Kirkpatrick wore the traditional shalwar kameez while in Hangu \u2013 and local customs are followed as much as possible. He learned not to offer his hand to a woman, for example, and to eat meals with only his right hand.<\/p>\n

Another challenge was living with a team of people from all over the world \u2013 a situation that could be positive or negative depending on the mix of personalities. \u201cIt\u2019s like being in residence in university but at 63 instead of 23 and with people of all different cultures. Most of us are set in our ways. I was lucky \u2013 I had a wonderful experience but spending that much time with strangers could potentially be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then there were the rocket attacks overhead one day.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges in providing medical care in a foreign hospital far from home, the working conditions Kirkpatrick experienced were good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hospital was probably built in the 1930s and is within a walled compound, which we didn\u2019t leave during our time there. It is mainly staffed by nationals \u2013 professionals who provide good quality care,\u201d said Kirkpatrick. \u201cThe wards are similar to many overseas hospitals \u2013 there are separate men\u2019s and women\u2019s wards but not semi-private or private rooms as you would expect in Canada. Big wards are more efficient but not great for patient privacy and private communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The operating theatre is clean and modern. Every MSF project is equipped with high-quality instruments.<\/p><\/div>\n

The hospital\u2019s lab had fewer tests available than a Canadian hospital would and its x-ray facilities were limited, said Kirkpatrick, but the MSF pharmacy carried first rate drugs and the operating room was at an international standard, containing high-quality, MSF-supplied standard instruments. The organization is conservative in their administrative spending so that the bulk of donations \u2013 80 per cent \u2013 goes to their projects. \u201cThe conditions (in the Hangu hospital) were not primitive. It was at or above the standard of other similar places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick is no stranger to providing medical care in foreign lands. He spent two years at the beginning of his career in Papua New Guinea and travelled to Haiti after its devastating 2010 earthquake as part of the Canadian Red Cross\u2019s relief effort.<\/p>\n

He has also offered surgical assistance in Nunavut. \u201cFor a while they had only one surgeon in Iqaluit. I offered to help so she could take a break now and then and have been almost every year since 2004. They now have another surgeon so my help may not be needed as often.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his commitments in Huntsville \u2013 he has a family and a medical practice and is working on a master\u2019s degree in International Health from the University of British Columbia \u2013 he will make himself available for future MSF projects as time allows. He was also asked by the Red Cross to travel to Nepal in June, but the notice was too short. He remains on their emergency response roster.<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick\u2019s initial, long-ago inspiration for working overseas came from those who had gone before him. \u201cAs a medical student, I read about Norman Bethune and Robert McClure \u2013 Canadian doctors who have worked overseas \u2013 and it seemed like a cool thing to do. As I\u2019ve gotten older, it\u2019s become less about the sense of adventure \u2013 I\u2019ve realized that there are needs that I can use my skills to help with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos supplied by Dr. Roy Kirkpatrick.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t