Saturday night our new group of interns came in. They are two young gentleman recently graduated from UCLA and on course to start medical school soon. Before they came I had let them know that they were more than going to have their work cut out for them. I wasn't wrong.
Yesterday morning the tie and shiny shoe cald fellas, Mikey and Zayeem, went with Fran and I to meet with the assistant director of the health care system in the state/city of Masaya. We arrived before he did and were directed to the only lobby in one of the many corridors in the building. About five minutes into the wait a group of gentleman passed by us, my head was down and partially in the clouds thinking about how the meeting might go, and then I noticed the group had stopped, square in front of me. I looked up and it was a bald man sticking his hand out to shake mine. He shook it, gave me a smile and then headed down the corridor with his people en tow. "josh, who was that?" Mikey asked me. "that was the regional director of the national health care system" My mouth dropped, I got a bit excited.
A few minutes later we were in the office of the assistant director and I was making the introductions as articulately as I knew how. It almost didn't matter though. My intentions and good will were completely trumped by the mans generosity and openness to first inform us about the way in which the health care system functions in Nicaragua and then to invite us to be a part of it.
It didn't end with just words though. At one point he said "come with me we are going to meet some people."
So the four of us followed him into a very large reunion hall that was full of the directors of clinics and hospitals as well as a group of young Nicaraguans that had just graduated from studying medicine in Cuba for the past 6 years. (Have you heard about med school in Cuba?) It was a staff meeting that had not yet began because the person that was in charge of directing it was busy giving us a tour. Instead of starting the meeting then and there, he took the opportunity to introduce us to the crowd of 40+ people and then pulled out the directors of the two largest clinics in the area of Masaya to come and meet with us. I was flattered. It couldn't be happening like this, could it?
We went back to his office and he made the introductions between us and them and then silence. It was my turn again.
So I told them our story and theirs in about two minutes. And then it was the directors turn again.
"Alright, I want you (the clinic directors) to put these two gentleman with the best and most knowledgeable doctors that you have. I want you to treat them good and make sure that they are well attended to." He explained that that kind of treatment and standard of international cooperation at every level was the policy of the fed, and that he would make sure that it was stricly followed under his watch.
Then we continued attending to the details, times that the internships would begin (they began today at 7 a.m.), where they would be at, (they are at the clinic on the north side of town) and things of that nature.
This pattern that this morning followed was cut from the same piece of cloth that yesterday was made of. The directora was late but overly kind. The verbal then physical tour was beyond thorough, and then the fellas were paired up with two young female doctors. How fortuitous!
