Ms. Birgit Feuchtmayr works at the Vincentinum Clinic in Augsburg. In 1996, the trained nurse spent nine months working in a hospital in Sucre, Bolivia. Her heart has been beating for this country ever since. Now - almost three decades later - Artemed Stiftung has finally given her the opportunity to travel there again.
In this interview, she tells us about her work and impressions of the Street Doctors in La Paz.
Artemed Stiftung (AS): Dear Ms. Feuchtmayr, you were on assignment in Bolivia for the first time with Artemed Stiftung in June, but it was not your first contact with this country?
Birgit Feuchtmayr (BF): That's right! I was already there for nine months after my training as a nurse. I liked it so much back then that I knew I had to go back there at some point. In 2019, I heard about the work of Artemed Stiftung in La Paz. I immediately got in touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't go straight away due to coronavirus and scheduling difficulties - but now it finally worked out.
AS: Of course, we are delighted that we were able to fulfill your wish on the one hand, but above all that we also made a valuable contribution to the Street Doctors. What was your first impression when you arrived there?
BF: I was a little worried beforehand whether I would be able to help at all - after all, I'm not a doctor but "just" a nurse. But it wasn't a problem at all: the team was super nice and made me feel very welcome. Right from the start, I was able to ride along with the ambulances, work with them and was immediately part of the team. It was certainly a great advantage that I was already familiar with the country and its people and that I speak good Spanish - or good "street Bolivian".
AS: What were your main tasks during your stay?
BF: We met in the office every morning at around 9:00 a.m. to briefly discuss the situation. The routes were mapped out, the personnel allocated and the ambulances made ready. Then we set off. We were usually on the road until around 4:00 pm. I tried to get involved wherever I knew my way around - I had the feeling that this worked very well for the whole team.
AS: Did you have any experiences during your stay that particularly occupied you?
BF: Yes. On the one hand, there was a deaf-mute mother who came for an examination with her small child. It was obvious that the mother had great difficulty communicating what the child was suffering from. She also had a few hematomas, so unfortunately I have to assume that there is often violence at home. It made me very thoughtful to know what a complicated path this child has ahead of her and showed me once again how well off we are in Germany. I had a similar experience when I visited a prison for young adults. The omnipresent sadness there is simply very depressing.
AS: Were you able to take anything positive away from the work?
BF: Yes, of course: a lot! The Street Doctors team simply does an incredible job. And I'm not so much talking about medical care. It's much more about the human touch: Everyone was listened to with the patience of an angel, their worries and ailments taken on board and talked through. I have rarely seen doctors approach their patients with so much empathy. They never looked at the clock or reminded us to leave: each examination took as long as it needed. No one was abandoned. In the end, even the sad encounters ended with a smile.
AS: That sounds great! What does that mean for you?
BF: For me, this means that I definitely want to go back to Bolivia with the foundation to see these great people again and help where the need is greatest.
