A Busy Month

I was unable to make home visits while I was on maternity leave, but now I am fully back to work and very busy! Last month I visited 18 households, treated two children with pneumonia, one child with diarrhea and four children with coughs and colds. I weighed 22 children and counseled their mothers about good nutrition. I also assisted a government health worker who came to our village. We went door-to-door searching for children who had not yet received the polio vaccine. I have started serving families in other villages too. I used to be responsible for 50 households – now I am covering more than 300! I feel honored to be entrusted with the health of so many people, and I want to take every opportunity available to me to improve my skills and knowledge.

One of the children with pneumonia was 5-month-old Imteaz. His mother Shukhi didn’t bring him to me as she should have. I discovered he was sick when I made my regular visit to the family’s home. This was not good, because if a child’s pneumonia isn’t treated early it can become deadly. I reminded Shukhi that I am always here to help and she should not hesitate to come find me whenever her child is sick. I gave her antibiotics and explained to her the correct dosage. Imteaz got better quickly and Shukhi thanked me for the good care I provided. She keeps in touch with me regularly now.