Johanna's first day at work

Well, today was my first day at work. I did a short run am to get a better idea of the layout of the town and had a long chat to the life guard at the pool who was welcoming and very friendly. It took 2 years for the pool to be built which is the way things are here. The hospital was daunting - just not knowing where things are or how they work. Must say though that everyone was very helpful and made me very welcome. There were 2 other doctors on the ward round and one medical student. Nearly all the inpatients are indiginous. There were two who could have been discharged but you have to wait to have two people heading the same way before chartering a plane to take them home so they just stay another night. There was one woman there who is a well known indiginous artist who is quite a character. I had never heard of her but she has apparently done a lot of the murals in Cairns and has been invited to art exhibitions in London and New York. One of the drs headed off on holidays so now it is just two of us - a bloke from Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and me.

I did a morning clinic at a nearby indiginous community called Napranum. We had to drive this huge 4 wheel drive which I find a bit daunting but the medical student has spend a lot of time in the outback and offered to drive me which was a relief. The clinic was amazing. Full of committed and very hardworking staff who are under resourced but never complain and are permanently friendly and helpful. There are no appts so you just start working through the files and do what you can and leave in time to do a pm clinic back in Weipa. Those not seen just come back to the next clinic. You do see pathology that I have not really seen much before. Have had two patients with septic arthritis, one with osteomyelitis and woman with a pebble in her ear ! We thought we would have to send her to Cairns but I had this moment of inspiration and used a nasal suction tube cut down to get it out.

The pm clinic is the same. More white patients who work for Rio Tinto but again no compaints despite long waits. I am provided with lunch but unfortunately, the nursing staff are not so I felt pretty awful eating my cooked meal with staff who were having toast... I am on call tomorrow - I take it in turns with the other GP.

Managed to make a cake for Michael's birthday with no measuring cups, scales or sifter. Smells good so hope it tastes ok ! The barge with supplies came in today so the entire town converges of woolworths for the week's supply of fresh food. A pretty basic basket of groceries for one week cost Michael $437 !!! Living up here is not cheap. Not sure how those on welfare manage.
The kids seem happy and end the day covered in red dirt.

Tomorrow, I head to a more remote clinic in the afternoon and then do the on call. I have no doubt that Weipa will start to look like the big smoke after going to the more remote indiginous communities.