First clinic day...

What will this day bring?
First day of clinic after 6 weeks of being closed.
How will patients know we’ve re-opened.
Will there be 10 people waiting outside the gate with sick kids or 100?
I prayed I wouldn’t have to send many patients away.

The maximum I wanted to take in for the day was 35 patients.
While the nurse shared tickets I zoomed through the line to pick out very sick ones.
The last 2 patients were kids I know well, so I chatted with the moms.
Soon enough, I learned that they were numbers 35 and 36.
Of course, I ended up letting all 36 in!

The day went well.
There was one very sick child in respiratory distress.
But thankfully the NGO hospital had a bed available.
A couple of other patients were on the border of needing admission.
No beds left at the NGO hospital so I treated as outpatient and would see them back.

So, what did the day bring?
36 patients.
10 hours of work.
Thankful parents.
And a privileged doctor.