Murdoch arrive in Laos

COUNTRY: Laos
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups - Murdoch University
PROJECT: Murdoch Nursing & Midwifery
WRITTEN BY: Murdoch University

Sabaai dii … Hello from Laos. The Murdoch team has arrived safely and is all well. Our accommodation in Luang Prabang is really comfortable and central. On Wednesday we visited the Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital and were greeted by one of the directors who is also a GP and lecturer, he gave us a presentation on health care and the hospitals objectives in Laos followed by a tour. Next was the Nursing College were again we were welcomed and given a generous amount of time from the school director and lecturers followed by a tour and demonstration of child birth procedures in Laos. Thursday was the start of our adventure into the Sueang Valley. After the pleasant drive through the picturesque countryside we arrived in the village of Ban Hat Houay to a lovely welcoming by the Governor and official of the district and village chiefs. The food is amazing and I doubt any of us will lose any weight as planned! The home stays are homely and the people are so kind and accommodating. We’ve had a few funny experiences getting used to the Laos toileting and bathing system, however I am sure we will all be experts soon.
We held our first clinic yesterday in the village of Ban Hua Keng and we are very proud to report we were able to assess 96 villagers in the morning. Our team of Murdochians, translators and health care workers formed a great team and we feel quite confident and excited for the full week of clinics starting Monday.
Today we are back in Luang Prabang and using the day to catch up on paperwork, get massages and do a little exploring. We hope to rise early tomorrow to watch the many monks walk the streets at 5:30am and give them our offering. At 2:30pm we head back to the village to prepare for next week’s clinics. Sonk dii der… Good bye from the Murdoch tea