After receiving some funding from the Netherlands as well as from an American visitor, we added some funds from the hospital. Dr ABD was able to get a good deal for mattresses with special (extra strong/washable) cover straight from the factory in Freetown.

On 21^st of March they were delivered and 30 of the old matrasses could be replaced by new ones!|The mattresses are really a huge improvement from the old ones: hygiene can be maintained, as the cover is washable, pressure wounds will be reduced as there are no hard ends of springs pushing in the patients back.

From the remaining mattresses, the best have been selected and are used on the remaining beds. We hope to give them a similar new cover, without replacing the whole mattress, to reduce cost.

Thank you so much to those who sponsored this project!

City Garden Clinic had the pleasure to welcome Mr Steve again from the USA. He spend most time this trip on various projects, including setting up a soap factory for the polio at Magbenteh.

But he never forgets City Garden Clinic, and assists us wherever he can! Like bringing us the new probe for the ultrasound laptop!!

Thank you mr Steve and success with your projects in Sierra Leone and the rest of the world!

On the picture you see CHO Yusif giving mr Steve a haircut, as due to so many trips for his organization he had no time to get a haircut. He was very pleased with the results 😉

At City Garden Clinic we do not have a maternity unit or a labor ward as for now (due to several reasons: the financial sustainability when the government services are for free in this field and secondly we do not have the staffing for this).

But if a woman needs an elective caesarian section, we do assist them.

So also this family who requested for an elective caesarian section as the two previous deliveries had been complicated with long-term consequences for the babies.

After discussing with the parents we selected a date for the admission and the operation the next day.
But one day earlier she started to have pain, which did not stop, but only got worse. So in the evening she decided to come to the hospital (as she was instructed to come if any problems).

On arrival she was in well established labor. CHO Yusif and STP Hassan were there with the lady, when they called dr Erdi.

She immediately came and started calling the theatre team for an emergency caesarian section. But even before she could call all, the baby started to become visible. The team of staff present guided this delivery without any complications.
A healthy baby was born; both mother and baby are doing well.

The biggest problem was that City Garden Clinic is not used to vaginal deliveries, so a delivery set ect is not ready. But with some improvisation all went well.

Always be ready for the unexpected…..

A clinician, but also a caring husband was Alie during the labor of his wife Titi. He supported her and she was doing a great job, but the baby would not really come. So a caesarian section was done for them: a life baby girl was born!

Both mother and baby are doing well.

The City Garden Clinic family has grown a little.

Congratulations Alie with your beautiful daughter!

Dr Jeff has been a good friend/brother of dr ABD for a long time. He has visited Magbenteh, but he has not yet stayed in City Garden Clinic (although he did visit City Garden Clinic when in Magbenteh).

This trip he came together with pastor Paul and pastor Ron Woolsley.
The trip was not so much medical and operations as previous trips, which gave them more time to experience Sierra Leone, talk to dr ABD and others and have a look around the clinic for themselves.

As Foot Print Mission is the big supported behind the Child Care Center in Makinkisa, they also spend time there, with a big thank you ceremony.

Their visit was concluded with a wonderfull thank you party with all City Garden Clinic staff.

Dr Jeff, pastor Paul and pastor Ron, thank you so much for coming, thank you so much for your loev and care for Sierra Leone and City Garden Clinic and the Child Care Center in Yele especially!!

Zainab came on December 22th, she had had an accident with a motorbike. Her right upper leg was broken. She was brought by her father to City Garden Clinic. Clinically it was clear that her leg was broken.
This was explained to her relatives and also that the best way for her to get healed was to undergo traction in the hospital for several weeks.|}This advice brought some practical problem for the relatives, as who can stay in the hospital with the child for all these weeks, as her mother was about to sit exams. But finally they agreed to get treated as advised. To start treatment and also reduce pain, (skin)traction was applied.

But the same afternoon another part of the family came and to take her to traditional healers. As hospital staff we opposed and tried to advise them to stay as we had seen some very bad outcome from fracture treatment by traditional healers.

Luckily for Zainab, the final conclusion was that she should stay in the hospital.

She accepted the traction very well and was very active despite the traction, which gave some challenge to the doctors and the nurse.

Her leg healed well and she was taken off tractions. An X-ray was made that showed a well healed femur fracture. After about a week of practicing she is able to walk well and go home.

Both the hospital staff as the family are very happy with the good results.

While on leave in the Netherlands, dr Erdi was offered to look at some equipment that was replaced by “het Zonnehuis” in Beekbergen, the nursing home where dr Erdi her mother lives.

So of course she went there. Some items might be useful, but too big to take along, other items were not suitable for the hospital in Sierra Leone.
But there was also a good working ECG machine, with spare stickers and (some) spare paper.

In Sierra Leone there are amny heart problems, although most come in late (heartfailure) stage, an ECG machine can really help to get correct diagnosis and treatment.

An old German machine that was at City Garden Clinic was not functioning well any more, so functionally there was no ECG machine. So we are very happy with this donation!!

Zonnehuis THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Through Steve Hollingsworth and with assistance of his friends like Theresa Schröder (In His Service) medical supply are being donated to City Garden Clinic. Also now they managed to send a suitcase full of orthopedic supply.

These gives us the opportunity to help people with muscle and joint problems that comes to City Garden Clinic.

Like the man in the picture is able to walk much better thanks to the knee brace!

Steve and Theresa, thank you very much!