Jungle Book of Definitions
bambulance
/bamboolance/
noun
a sturdy hammock artfully slung along a robust bamboo pole. it rests atop the shoulders
of heroic men and sometimes women, often shoed in thongs as it transfers a patient
experiencing an urgent need for medical attention.
verb
transports by way of bambulance.
‘she was bambulanced from home to the mobile surgical tent’
In the rural parts of Myanmar this is THE way of getting a patient to the clinic. For the most part the roads are not great and are easily affected by the rainy season. For the other – there are few cars and most people don’t have money to pay for transport. If you happen to be walking on the jungle path, it is nothing to get overtaken even on the uphill by a bambulance. The thong wearing, cheroot smoking guys will effortlessly pass you by. A bambulance may be used to get a patient from home to the clinic, or from a clinic to a larger referral centre.
A Karen medic tells a story of the time he had a woman with internal bleeding in the bambulance. By the time he had gathered enough men to form the carrying team and they’d trudged for hours through the jungle, it was late when they arrived at the lake. Crossing in the dark is dangerous, the medic only waits a short while in order to convince the boat driver to try the crossing. After navigating to the other side through the dead trees sticking up in the water, the men put her back in the bambulance and head to the township hospital. When scolded for a late presentation, this medic said “see that mountain top past those other 2 mountain tops? Well, we came from the far side of that mountain – on foot!” There is no further argument or complaint. The guys who operate the bambulance are forever in my mind as heroes.
By Monica - SPM Project Manager - Maternal Health
Monica Parker is from New South Wales, Australia and is a registered nurse and midwife. She has been living and working in Thailand and Myanmar since 2009 and is SPM’s Project Manager for the Maternal Health Program. She is seconded to work with Earth Mission Physician Associate program based in Karen State Myanmar. It is Monica’s dream to train a strong core of professional midwives to serve the Karen people in the remote areas of Karen State. She also wants to help set professional standards in maternal health care. This includes identification and appropriate management of high-risk pregnancy and birth.
Monica and her family are currently back in Australia, supporting the program remotely and visiting regularly.
Photo credit to Earth Mission