Very few things go as planned in Tanzania, and this is also true when building facilities. Selian hospital, located in Ngaramtoni, is the premier health facility in Northern Tanzania. It is run by an American doctor, and is surprisingly clean at first glance. It has been built in stages, and it appears the electric system has been installed without much thought behind it.

Erik, an American engineer who also volunteers with Mondo, has taken the seemingly-insurmountable task of mapping out the electric system. He has also fixed a couple of incubators, dryers etc. If something breaks down, they simply consider it broken and stop using it.

I have assisted him over the past few days. We have access to every single door of every single building. We are trying to figure out which switch controls which outlet, and which breaker controls which switches etc. We have the blueprints of the buildings, and the proposed electric system by the architect, but it was rapidly apparent that the contractors did not look at the electric map before building.

On Thursday, we�ve shut down the Intensive-Care Unit and the recovery wards. Of particular interest was mapping out the operating theaters. The old theater reminds me of a torture chamber, while the newer one appears quite modern. I have seen surgical equipment labeled: �Best before June 1994!� right next to the theaters, and it is clear that they are using the stuff today�. Also, I found what appears to be a cancerous tumour the size of a large fist sitting next to a sink. The next evening, it was still there, but a little more malodorous. I will go back to finish the job on Monday and find out whether someone threw it out before the weekend. I would not be surprised if it is still there.

I have a bit of a hospital-phobia, so I have been wearing a surgical mask all day, much to the amusement of the staff. Better safe than sorry, in a country where TB and other infectious diseases are still active and widespread.