So it’s a New Year, and the
first thing to do as a doctor in the UK
is drink a cup of tea in bed,
leaf through the BMJ and the Times and
check that your obituary has not been published. Provided that’s OK, it’s time
to get out of bed and start the New Year with one or two resolutions. You might, if you are particularly eminent, check
that you haven’t been named in the New Year’s Honours list, but I guess you get
asked about that in advance.
In Chad it is more or
less the same, except that the BMJ arrives about a month late and the Guardian
Weekly doesn’t post obituaries, and the honours list?
Last Thursday morning at 9:15 am I was doing some admin in the office when
Mbai gave me a letter that had arrived the day before, it was from the mayor’s
office inviting me to a ceremony to mark the New Year, seating of guests was
between 8 and 9:30 with the ceremony scheduled to begin at 10 am. Should I go?
It wasn’t very convenient, was it just a circular and I didn’t need to be
there? I had a ward round to do followed
by a busy clinic which I was hoping to finish early so that the staff could
take part in the annual hospital union elections. I rapidly decided that I
should go, we are here to be part of things and get involved in Chadian life
and that is what is needed so be it.
After a quick dash to
the pharmacy and wards to explain my absence I was back in the office when Mbai
said, the mayors secretary had just rung, ‘are you coming, the mayor has something to give you.’ Great I’d made
the right decision. Straight into the car and a 10 minute drive along the dusty tracks
until I arrived at Farcha and the Commune of the Premiere Arrondissement at 2 minutes
past 10. It looked busy,lots of people, lots of police and other official 4X4
vehicles. After a quick emptying of pockets and once over with a metal detector
I was shown through to the yard beside the offices to where couple of hundred invited guests were waiting for the Mayor to arrive They were seated on plastic garden chairs under a brightly coloured temporary cloth covered shelter listening to arab style music from a large PA system. I was ushered
to a place of honour, with various police officers, gendarmes etc. We were sat in rows,facing the main crowd, behind an enormous vacant sofa where the mayor would be seated. About
10 minutes later the mayor arrived and in front of the assembled TV cameras and
press the ceremony began. After a short
introduction by the General Secretary it was the turn of the Mayor to speak. He
thanked everyone for finding the time to come to his modest ceremony and wished
everyone a peaceful, prosperous and healthy New Year. Then he outlined the
improvements to the Premiere Arrondissement over the past year, new roads, improved electricity supply etc. and then the
difficulties due to reduced budgets with the falling price of oil, and the new problem of combatting terrorism and
the need for all citizens to be united in their efforts to be united against
it. He then announced that the ceremony would continue with the presentation of
certificates to thank and encourage people who have made a particular
contribution to the arrondissement in the past year.
First a number of
police chiefs and gendarmes were honoured, as it was noted without them where
would we be in these troubled times. Then the Mayors body guard, and other
members of his staff, local chiefs,
school teachers, religious leaders and members of the local business community
including David, a Chadian who with his Swedish wife Sarah owns the farm where Ruth and Rebecca used to
go horse riding. They have an expanding cheese making business. And finally as
it was said, ‘’la santé avant tout’’, Dr Soloukna, the District Medical Officer
and Dr Mark, the medical director of L’hôpital de Guinebor II.
As is normal there followed
a ‘petit cocktail’, and an announcement was made to say who was to go to which area
to eat. I didn’t quite know where I was
to go, but the secretary general picked me out in the crowd and took me in the mayor’s
office a large room with all the chiefs, minus its usual sofas and in their place on a large
table were two whole roast stuffed goats. Each person cut off their own
portion, absolutely delicious as was the cous-cous and vegetable stuffing. The
Chief from Alllaye was sat next to me and put what I took to be a delicacy on
my plate. Rounded at one end and concave at the other, yellowy brown, I couldn’t
tell what organ it was ,an eyeball a testicle? It felt rubbery and I bit in to it with a
certain trepidation only to find out that it was simply an egg white changed in
colour by the stuffing!
On the way out there was lots of
handshaking and congratulations, a few photos (sorry I didn’t take a camera) and then it was back to the hospital to see
some patients. I reflected in the car on the way back that although I am not a big fan
of honours in the name of an anachronistic colonial institution but there does
seem to me to be a place for civic recognition of the work of organisations and
individuals for the good of society.
The next morning I showed the certificate
to the staff and thanked them all, cleaners, doctors, grounds staff, guards, laboratory technicians,
midwives nurses and pharmacy staff from the part of the Mayor for all their hard work
in serving the hospital and the local community. It is after all the hospital team
,composed of many parts that functions together that represents the body of Jesus
that should be thanked and encouraged.
Finally one of our new team mates arrived in Ndjamena and we took her
advice, followed her expert tuition and started drying meat. Boil mince meat
for an hour or so then slow dry in the oven was her advice and its ready when
it looks like light coloured coffee granules! So now we have several jam jars
of meat ready to go with us. It’s amazing how much water there is in it.
