Haydom Documentary: Life without Care

Life Without Care is a documentary film project centered on Haydom hospital in remote central Tanzania, 200 miles from Arusha, the nearest large town.   To get involved or to help Haydom hospital, please go to "Donate to Haydom Hospital" To help Dr. Theresa, please go to "Donate to Dr. Theresa" Haydom Hospital: Facing Life Without Care from Skyship Films on Vimeo. ...

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A Spikey Friend

  “Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh   As a few people already know, I went on Safari (a blog post to come) and had a chance to see some of the wondrous creatures living in Africa. However, one of my favourite animals that I've met on my African journey, lives a little closer to home. In fact right outside the front door of Family House 4, in Haydom. Henry is...

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A Warm-up Climb: Mt Hanang

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir    Out of the many things to do whilst staying in Haydom, climbing Mt Hanang should be on ever visitor's to do list. The Mt Hanang trek is often used by many as a warm-up climb to Mt Kilimanjaro. However, Mt Hanang is not merely a warm-up trek, it readily offers up its' own unique...

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Swahili 001 - The Essential Basics

To get the most out of your time at Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), I would recommend learning some Swahili. I feel it's not only important to be polite, but also to embrace a key part of Tanzania culture. Not to mention as you progress it will help you on the wards. For this lesson we will start off with some basic greetings, and phrases that any traveler to Tanzania should know. All the material I've either learnt during my stay in Haydom...

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Evidence Based Medicine Coming to Haydom

Evidence based medicine is the cornerstone of how we are now taught medicine and it's coming back to Haydom.Yes, I was a little misleading with the title, but I'll explain why in a second. At Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), where possible interventions are based on guidelines, however due to the lack of resources and staff education levels and availability of doctors, evidence-based medicine is not always practiced. And I think the key to...

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An African Sting

There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt. Erma Bombeck  I know some of you may be wondering if I actually do any medicine at Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), but don't worry I do. Up in till now I've largely steered away from telling cases from the hospital, and I'm not about to start. Instead I have a little story to tell from yesterday, with some added education. If we start right back at...

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Taking a Step Back in Time

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. ― Mother Teresa At Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH), there is a set routine to things. You get up in the morning, go have breakfast, then go to the doctors meeting at 7:30am, followed by Sala (which is a morning prayer and general announcement session attended by all in the hospital), then the radiology meeting and finally clinical duties (which typically starts...

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Happy Easter from Tanzania

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ came to do three things. He came to have my past forgiven, you get a purpose for living and a home in Heaven - Rick Warren Just a short one today, to say Happy Easter to everyone I know around the world. I'm currently, relaxing in Meru House Inn in Arusha which I would recommend to all travelers. It has all the basics like hot water, a bed and wifi. Plus there is breakfast each morning. We don't have...

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The Odd One Out

We boil at different degrees - Ralph Waldo Emerson Like this sunflower in a field of maize, being in Africa can make you feel like the odd one out. I would not characterize this as a bad thing, if anything it adds another dimension to your experience. On my first day at Haydom, I met a large number of the other volunteers, medical students and guests at Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH). Unsurprisingly (at least to me), I was something of...

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This is Africa

Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - Cesare Pavese Finally the moment you've all been waiting for (I'm an optimist at heart), my first post ever from Haydom, and in fact from Africa. As with many things in Africa, things happen at...

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Get Ready for Lift Off

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain I'm currently sitting in Brisbane Airport at 1:00am waiting for my flight. It's not the most exciting part of the journey, but every journey has to start somewhere. And realistically this journey...

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Blog in Development

The Haydom Health blog is currently in development. Resources will be added as permitted by time. In the mean-time take a look Haydom.com for more information and ne...

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Donate to Haydom Lutheran Hospital

Photographer: UNAMID Do you wish to donate to Haydom Lutheran Hospital? My donation campaign has ended but you can  donate directly to Haydom Luthean Hospital here: http://www.haydom.com/?page_id=24   ...

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Haydom's History

The information below comes from the Official Haydom Lutheran Hospital website (www.haydom.com).  The tsetse fly problem  In the beginning of the 1950s Haydom was an uninhabited bush. Tsetse flies made the area uninhabitable for people, but the area was fruitful: there was an extensive animal kingdom and dry, but luxuriant vegetation. Fifty years later, Haydom is a village with one of Tanzania’s best hospitals, schools and education...

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Where is Haydom

Adapted from image by Peterfitzgerald via Wikicommons Haydom Hospital is located in Rural Tanzan...

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Basic Clinical Skills

Click on the Tutorials below to view further information concerning the topic. Clinical Examination Performing a Cardiovascular Clinical Exam Cardiovascular exams are used in conjunction with the appropriate history taking to ascertain the likelihood of a cardiovascular disease (e.g. congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, infective endocarditis and so on). Performing a Respiratory Clinical Exam Respiratory exams are used in conjunction...

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About Haydom Hospital

  The information below comes from the Official Haydom Lutheran Hospital website (www.haydom.com). Haydom Lutheran Hospital is located in the North of Tanzania, around 300 km South-West of Arusha. In the Mbulu area we are the largest hospital, with more than 400 beds, serving around 300.000 people directly and 2.000.000 as referral hospital. In the beginning of the 1950s Haydom was an uninhabited bush. Tsetse flies made the area uninhabitable...

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Health Resources

This section will eventually contain a list of useful health resources relevant to Haydom Tanzani...

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Join Us

Have been to Haydom Lutheran Hospital in the past or plan to do so in the future? HaydomHealth was setup to collate the the initial journey of one medical student to Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH). However, the plan was always to provide other volunteers, doctors and nurses with a place to share their experiences as well. We are always looking for those who have been to HLH and would like to share their experiences with the greater world....

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Experience Africa

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Volunteering at Haydom

The information below comes from the Official Haydom Lutheran Hospital website (www.haydom.com). Volunteers & Students  Every year there are many people visiting or working at Haydom Lutheran Hospital. The most common visitors are doctors and dentists, nurses and midwives, medical and nursing students, volunteers, research applicants, casual visitors and hospital friends. All visitors are very much appreciated as they make a welcomed...

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Departments

The information below comes from the Official Haydom Lutheran Hospital website (www.haydom.com). The hospital consists of several clinical departments. Here is information about some of them. For further and more up to date details about each department click here. Reception When patients arrive at Haydom, they either go to the reception or to the OPD. The most serious cases from the OPD are also sent to the reception. In the reception the...

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About the Authors

HaydomHealth.org was started to share the experiences of those volunteering at Haydom Lutheran Hospital (HLH). To raise awareness about some of the challenges facing the hospital, but also the heart-warming stories of it's workers, volunteers and patients. Finally to act as another starting point for those interested in volunteering at HLH in the future. HaydomHealth.org is largely informal, and there are many other websites from which you can...

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