You don't have Morphine?

I begin work on female medical. My first patient was admitted overnight and I'm to review her progress. I tighten my tie, gather my stethoscope, don my white coat and head over to the ward. It bears no resemblance at all to a NZ hospital. All the patients are in one room. There is no curtain separating cubicles. There's not a computer in sight. In fact, none of the equipment looks like it was made after the 80's. The floor is dirty and unswept. In the Ugandan mind, cleanliness is most decidedly not next to godliness.

A few student nurses from the neighbouring nursing school bustle around to see the new mzungu doctor in action. I glance over the patients notes. There's no . No way to learn about her previous admissions. No records of past clinic attendances. I see the blood test results scribbled in the front corner with a pencil. She's grossly anaemic but then everyone here is. There doesn't seem to be a measure of vital signs anywhere. I ask for some ibuprofen for pain relief and fluconazole for her fungal infection. The nurse hasn't heard of them. How about ketoconazole then? No. Morphine? No.

Clearly I have much to learn.