Rehabilitation Team visit of Petra and Marieke

From July 25 to 29, we, Petra van Kampen (pediatric rehabilitation physician) and Marieke Arendsen (pediatric occupational therapist), were back in Sengerema for a short visit. We had also been there in February 2024 for three weeks together with a physiotherapist and an orthopedic technician.

It felt very familiar when we arrived on the hospital grounds on Saturday afternoon. We used Sunday to recover from our journey from Rubya, and on Monday we got to work. We saw several children, diagnosed some with syndromes or Cerebral Palsy, and provided treatment recommendations. On the physiotherapy department, we noticed that some of the recommendations we had made 2½ years ago had already been implemented.

On Tuesday, we brought several items from the container to the physiotherapy department: a standing table and two chairs. We also explained how these could be adjusted and fitted correctly. It was fantastic to see the new operating theatre complex fully completed and in use, as it was still under construction during our visit in February 2024. What an impressive, spacious, and functional building it has become.

On Wednesday morning, we left for Rubya Hospital with mixed emotions. There, we are now doing much the same work we did in Sengerema in 2024: exploring how rehabilitation services can be further developed and strengthened. We can hardly wait to return and get fully involved again.