Zanzibar Revolution Day

Today is Zanzibar Revolution Day. While it is considered a national holiday, the celebrations occur mostly on the Zanzibar islands.  Most businesses, including the hospital, close for the holiday nationwide. I asked a few Tanzanians about its significance and they explained that it celebrates the day when the Sultan of Zanzibar and his Arab government were overthrown in 1964. Later on Zanzibar joined the State of Tanganyika to form what is now known as Tanzania. You can tell that the name is a hybrid of the two names.  

The hospital was closed, but retained minimal staff to care for hospitalized patients and the outpatient/urgent care (OPD) clinic. The team had the opportunity to round on patients in the general ward, the maternal ward, and OPD. We also had the opportunity to connect with nursing students at Ilula. As you may have heard, the Nursing School opened in November of 2015. It enrolled 6 male nursing students and 7 female nursing students. They are currently living in the student housing facilities. One of the student’s name is Sarah. She spent some time today teaching us some phrases in Swahili and telling us about what she is learning about in school. The Ilula nursing students are covering topics in nutrition and have a big test tomorrow. Their typical school day starts at 7:30 am and ends at around 3 pm. They then utilize the rest of the day to study for exams and complete assignments. One of the highlights of the day was the didactic session on Malaria. It was the first time that our team met with the nursing students to participate in a session together. We learned about the parasite, P. falciparum, the mosquito vector, the signs and symptoms of malaria, and its treatment.  I have included a photo for you to see. 

Malaria matters in Tanzania with our team and Ilula nursing students