Births, death, hunger and hope.. I want to show my little boy life can be so different under African skies
Doctor vows to take his son to see impact of his work in rural Zambia
As he held the tiny, malnourished baby in his arms, doctor Gavin McColl faced the toughest moment of his career in Africa.
He was surrounded by village elders and the baby’s relatives in rural Zambia and was desperately trying to persuade them to let him take the baby back to hospital to finish his lifesaving treatment.
They had decided the child, just months old, was too sick to survive. Their people were struggling for food and they couldn’t spare the resources to help the ill tot.
It is one story that sticks in Gavin’s mind because, thanks to the charity On Call Africa, baby Charlie is not only alive five years on but he’s thriving.
And, as the charity marks 10 years saving lives in the country, it is particularly poignant for Gavin now – as he has his own baby boy, Finlay.
He said that one day he will take Finlay to Zambia to show him how different life can be for children over there.
Gavin helps to run the charity, which provides healthcare for the most rural communities in the southern African state.
It is based near Victoria Falls in Livingstone, a town named after legendary Scots doctor David Livingstone.
On Call Africa operates a mobile clinic to offer treatment and medical education to villages and tribes.
Gavin has been involved since the start and clearly reca l ls baby Charl i e ’ s desperate predicament.
He said: “Malnutrition is a huge issue and there’s one little boy that really sticks out in my head. He had developed dysentery and he came to the clinic very late on. He was suffering a breakdown of skin we call pellagra.
“We got him on a re-feeding and antibiotics programme but the family discharged him early and he hadn’t got his nutritional levels up enough, so developed a facial nerve palsy from the ulcer.
“I got them back to the clinic and said, ‘ You need to get him back to hospital.’ His mum was crying, saying it just wasn’t possible. She kept thrusting the baby into my arms asking if I could fix him.
“The village had grouped together to support them but, when he got ill again, quite understandably in some respects, they thought the child wasn’t going to make it. And if they kept putting resources into this situation, then they could potentially cause a lot of harm to the rest of the families and children.
“They understood the implications of the decision – what they were saying would have a massive impact and would probably lead to the death of a child.” On Call Africa drove to their village to try to persuade them to give Charlie the treatment he needed.
Gavin said: “We drove out to the field and met in a big circle and they realised there was a chance of him getting better. He returned to hospital to complete his treatment and he’s doing really well now.
“I check on him when I go back and he’s a gorgeous wee boy.” Gavin
These people face life or death decisions we never have to take
admitted that working there can be emotionally hard for the team.
He said: “It was so upsetting. It can be so distressing or frustrating at t imes but ult imately you unders t and because these communities face life- or- death decisions we never have to take.”
While Gavin and medical pals Kirsty Luescher and Simon Tolmie, and development expert Malcolm Spence, first got together to work out a plan to apply their medical training in the developed world, they just hoped to do whatever they could to make a difference.
Ten years on from launching in Zambia, they have treated 35,000 people, trained teams of community helpers and created an incredible infrastructure to supply doctors and other healthcare experts.
They had the idea following their own separate experiences in the developing world as students. They decided to try to fill the gap between micro local projects in villages and massive organisations which cover large areas.
The heart of On Call Africa is the mobile clinic, a modified Toyota Land Cruiser, staffed by up to six volunteer medics from the UK.
They work with existing rural clinics and nurses to go where they are needed and offer support, advice and treatment. They have enjoyed a warm welcome from locals thanks to the legacy of explorer, missionary and anti-slavery hero Livingstone.
Some of the biggest challenges they face are the locals’ beliefs. On Call Africa has been working hard to help treat thousands of HIV patients and defeat dangerous rumours such as the horrific sexual cleansing notion, which held that you could cure HIV by having sex with a virgin.
They also battle against illnesses such as malaria, while snake bites are also a major issue, with limited anti-venom resources in rural areas.
The impact has been massive and the team now plan to expand to a second vehicle. They have been awarded a £ 50,000 grant from the Department for International Development’s Small Charities Challenge Fund (SCCF) and Gavin is really excited about the future.
He said: “The model works – we know that doctors want to come out and do this. They enjoy it, it’s a rewarding experience and it has a positive impact as they leave trained healthworkers in place with a real sustainability.”
In the early days of the charity, he and his three Scots co-founders were regular visitors and spent a lot of time in Zambia.
But now that Gavin has a young son, he spends more time in the UK, where he worksrks at a large GPGPpracticepractice partnership in London.
He said: “You do everything you can to make your k id ’ s l i fe as good as possible, with the bestt schools andd everythingg else, but I don’t wantnt him to thinknk t h a t ’s t he whole world.d.
“I want to show him different things and help appreciate that there are different ways of life. “Out there, the kids are running around and they are such happy wee children and I want him to understand the differences in culture and that’s a really positive thing. “I’d love him to grow up with that kind of understanding.” International development minister Baroness Sugg said: “The UK Government’s Small Charities Challenge Fund exists to make sure small organisations, which do vital work arounaround the world, get the crcrucial support they nneed to help us end povertyp once and for allall. “UK aid has helped On CCal l Africa to scale up their work providingprov healthcare in hard-h to- reach areasarea in Zambia. The fundfun relaunched this month and we are encouraging smallsm char it ies fromfro every corner of BBritain to apply for an SCCSCCF grant to help them make a difference.”differe