La Brigada Medica
Jennifer Temmer
June 26, 2010

The past month in Ciriboya has been somewhat chaotic. After some serious report writing I thought I would have a little down time and to start some new projects for the coming month. Little did I know that last Sunday there would be a medical brigade arriving. For four days, nineteen doctors with a wide variety of expertise attended hundreds of people from as far away as Puerto Lempira. This is a two-day trip. Teeth were checked and pulled, glasses were handed out, and general examinations were undertaken. When work was finished Ciriboya was inundated with a large group of foreigners mulling about and heading out to enjoy the beach. I was fortunate to have a couple, a dentist and general practitioner, stay with me. All week I was privy to the interesting medical cases and an excitement of each day. In the mornings we would share coffee and oatmeal, chat and prepare for the day. On Monday I brought them a special treat of caballitos (like a large, round gingerbread cookie) from Tia Doris, one of the CAUSE loan borrowers in Punta Piedra.

Typically there are upwards of 18 medical brigades that arrive to the hospital in Ciriboya each year, coordinated through the hospital’s foundation. These brigades come principally from different organizations in the United States, however national brigades are also organized. The hospital, founded in the mid-2000’s by a local doctor, is the only equipped hospital in the immediate area and has revolutionized the medical system in Iriona. These medical brigades, I was told occur frequently throughout the year. These efforts are to ensure that new expertise, medical attention and medications continue to flow to the hospital and its pharmacy.

There have been two interesting aspects to this experience. One, has been the flood of locals, both Latino and Garifuna, lingering around the hospital waiting for their numbers to be called, (and in the same regard, in front of the CAUSE office) and the appearance of a large group of foreigners taking lodging in peaceful Ciriboya. The upheaval has been a bit of a jolt my otherwise uneventful life. Now the brigade is gone and things are returning to normal. I was told that when the big bus that brought the whirlwind of healthcare workers left, they stopped at Tia Doris’ house and bought 25 caballitos for the bus ride back. This seemed to help ease the nerves of the weary travelers regarding the long, bumpy, wet road back to La Ceiba.