MSF nurse Hashim Sheikh Nur gives a young woman strong pain medication, she came with a severely infected abscess in her face and on her breast and it is soon clear that she needs immediate referral to Wardher hospital, after she has been given strong pain medication:
“She is in extreme pain, her mother tells us that 15 days ago she had only a small abscess in her face, and grew so bad aggressively that it affected the whole side of one face. It is severely infected. I will give her pain relief, as she is in extreme pain and has not been given any pain medication.

She saw a traditional healer, which has only contributed to the infection we see now. She has another abscess at her breast. It is very painful but the injection will ease the pain in some minutes, so we can refer her in ten minutes by our car to Wardher hospital. She came too late as it’s already so infected.

Unfortunately, we often see skin infections and abscesses, from the prevalent unhygienic living conditions especially in the bush. A scratch of a thorn can quickly get infected. But this woman’s case is extremely serious and aggressive and she also came too late. We need to get her to the hospital immediately. Her husband and one of her daughters accompany her. I fear she will have to stay for a long time. It is very serious.”

Supplemenatary caption:
It is a busy MSF mobile clinic day in Hogdugaag village, 35 km from Wardher town and about a 1.5-hour drive, with a population of over 1000 persons, and also bush families that have moved closer to the village for access to the 50 ‘berkits’ (rainwater collecting ponds). They have been filling up from the good rains.