Thursday June 19

Did you know that it can take three anaesthetists 45 minutes to get a baby asleep ready for cataract surgery? No? It did today! This little one who was 6 months old decided he did not want to go to sleep for anybody. We won in the end. But then that is the nature of the work done here at the ship.

We did 30 eye procedures today but with no-shows i.e. patients who didn't turn up today, we didn't treat 30 patients (some had 2 procedures). There can b every good reason for people not turning up. yesterday we had tropical rainstorms that would make travelling difficult especially if the patients are reliant upon the little transport there is available and live 3 days journey away. Sometimes family matters take over , they may have a funeral or caught malaria and then too sick to travel ,any number of other reasons why they haven't made it on the day scheduled. But then they may turn up 2 or 3 days later and we try to fit them in.

Being with Mercy Ships involves community living and that includes some meetings - they are optional but we are encouraged to attend. Thursday evening is one of the main meetings so tonight - having finished work at 7.25pm I headed up to the main lounge which seats around 200 I guess for the meeting. we had the local methodist pastor preaching on Romans 12 v1 about the mercies of God. After the meeting there is always time for coffee from Starbucks and often a small nibble of something delicious. Tonight there was cake. I was able to sit and chat with some of the other crew members too.

The most exciting event of the day however was ther fire drill. For most of us it simply involves listening for an alarm and evacuating the premises. For OR staff that is always a little more difficult. Here though it was simply a case of evacuating when the alarm sounded. This is a proper drill including artificial smoke. it was down by my cabin apparently, not that I was there at the time but there is no way I could have slept through the fire alarm. I don't think I've ever heard one so loud.

Having earlier in the day suggested to the surgeon that he would like to still be operating at the appointed hour of the drill, he duly was and I was working with him. Those involved in direct patient care at the time do not have to leave the ship. But as I went through one of the OR exit doors I saw members of the fire team with breathing apparatus and fire reels running downstairs - all very realistic. The loudspeaker boomed out instructions for all crew to evacuate and it was the captain who brought it all to an end about 20 minutes later with an annoucement over said tannoy.

So what will happen tomorrow? Well it's another day, another story....