The boat and the entire organization of the River Doctors' medical ship were supposed to undergo an inspection by the regional government in Pathein on 24 December. This was an unprecedented inspection, which the team in Pathein and the team at Myanmar and the Artemed Stiftung team in Germany were looking forward to with excitement and uncertainty, as two smaller private clinics in the region have been closed by the authorities in recent months, the reasons for which are unknown to us.

Yesterday then came the surprising news to the medical team, which was anchored at a village on its monthly tour of the Irrawaddy Delta and was treating countless patients as usual: Today, December 13, Friday 2pm, the inspection would take place and would be conducted by the regional director in person - not here in the delta, of course, but in the home port a few hours' drive away, so the ship was heading back in the afternoon to prepare for the inspection.

After several exciting and anxious hours of waiting, the regional director and a member of staff arrived on the boat at 6 p.m., checked the books and documentation, the medical equipment, medication and asked many questions.

Finally the redemptive news. Polli is allowed to continue its operations and continue to provide medical care to the rural population in the Irrawaddy Delta. The team management still has a few tasks to complete, but they are solvable. The best news at the end of this challenging year!