PG takes its health and Christianity very seriously and uses one to reinforce the other really rather well. They have little and alot in common with another...little when you consider how many churches there are compared to the number of clinics and hospitals, and alot when you realise how many volunteers run both compared to locals. Americans run masses here either through the Peace Corps, the Red Cross or various ministries and Hillside of course. Cubans seems to be the driving force behind everything bar radiology at PG hospital but the Taiwanese are just about to try and restore the balance (yes the Taiwanese - I know, like they has a fabulous economy - maybe they know how to do things on a tight budget?)
Anyway back to the fair. This was mainly aimed at the schoolchildren from all of PG's schools in an attempt to catch them early and to take home healthy living messages to their parents to entrench at home. You had to feel for them, the official opening took over an hour of various dignitaries declaring things open and thanking all the sponsors, all whilst the poor kids were standing to attention. Farnaz and myself had been pressganged into being nursing students for the morning and to take BPs and BMs and give information on hypertension and diabetes. No given the choice do you think many kids would be up for having their BM read given that it involved pain and blood....THEY ALL WANTED IT! Bizarre...it must be a mag
ical thing...we did pick up several new potential diabetics in the kids and with the adults and identified some appalling lapses in control in the already diagnosed. The blood pressures were not as poor as I had predicted, but there weren't so many Garifuna adults in attendance. Those that were were definitely on the side of well porky, and the Maya carry all their weight around their middles so are at a huge risk for diabetes...We had an introduction to the healthcare system in Belize with Cherry-May the Ministry Nurse - very frustrating as so many holes in the service and those that do provide it don't communicate at all so it's really inefficient. Then in the afternoon its back to the clinic for evening surgery and birthday cake as it happened to be Emma's birthday. Damn, no present - we didn't know. Still God appeared to as he put on a most excellent light show for her enjoyment (but sadly forgot to cancel the orchestra which was seriously loud and carried on till the early hours.....)Boo!
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