The Ticket System

This morning during a lull our outpatient department (OPD) “house supervisor” Becky (the nurse that helps keep everything flowing), showed me how patients get a ticket to be seen.

Early in the morning people come and line up outside the gate.  Two medics sit in little booths at the head of the line and triage everyone who comes.  They will decide who gets the tickets to see the doctors.  It is not first come first serve.  With only two surgeons (who are amazing), one family practice doctor (who astoundingly also does most of the C-sections -- 400 last year), a part time family practice doctor and myself (both of us are handicapped because we need translators) some patients will simply not be able to be seen.  Though I think this is less of an issue right now because everyone is fasting for Ramadan and fewer people come to be seen.

A green ticket means you get to see a surgeon.  A yellow ticket means you get to see a medic (and not a doctor).  A red ticket is an emergency ticket and that means you get to see me!  A white ticket is the most diverse.  It is a medical ticket – but it also includes OB, pediatrics, chronic disease, and acute medical problems.  An OB patient sees the full time family practice doc.  The young peds patients under 5 months (are supposed) to see the part time family practice doctor.  And we divvy up the others as they appear.

My last patient today was a tribal patient (I can tell because of the way she was dressed).  She is 6 weeks pregnant and has bad typhoid. This is her second pregnancy.  Her first baby was born dead.  I am hoping and asking for a healthy baby this time around.