Nesly is a 5-year-old boy who lives with his mother and sibling in a remote area about six hours from our clinic. His father does not help with his care, so his mother is responsible for caring for the children. Getting medical care is very difficult for families in this area because of the long distance and lack of nearby health services.

One day, while Nesly was playing with another child, he took a needle from his mother’s bag. He was trying to remove the needle from a sandal where it had become stuck when the needle accidentally went into his left eye.

Nesly immediately cried out in pain. The other child saw what happened and called for his mother. When she came, she saw that Nesly had badly injured his eye.

Because they were far from a health facility, his mother did what she could with the little she had available. She crushed a leaf called “Lanman” and placed it over his injured eye to protect it until she could get him medical care.

His mother and an uncle later made the long journey to our clinic with Nesly. When they arrived, we examined him and knew that his eye injury needed care from an eye specialist.

We gave Nesly the first care we could provide at our clinic. However, we do not have an eye doctor who can treat this type of injury. Because of this, we prepared a referral letter for Nesly to receive care at a hospital with an eye specialist.

In our area, we often see patients whose medical needs are beyond what our clinic can provide. The lack of specialists, long travel distances, and the cost of medical care can make it very hard for families to get the treatment they need.

When this happens, we do not simply send patients away. We work to help them find the right place for care. A referral letter helps connect our clinic with another hospital that can provide the treatment a patient needs. When possible, our team also helps patients and their families get to the hospital.

Nesly’s story reminds us that caring for a patient does not always mean we can provide every treatment ourselves. Sometimes, the best care we can give is to recognize when a patient needs more help and make sure they are connected to the right medical team.

For Nesly, the referral was an important step toward getting the eye care he needed. No matter where a patient must go for treatment, our goal remains the same: to help them get the care they need and to make sure they are not left alone.