Little hype but saving lives everyday...

That's Dr Daniel Murphy who runs the Bairro Pité Clinic (BPC). Running his practice from a derelict building, which was once used as a torture centre in the Indonesian times, Dr Dan as he is known popularly, receives hundreds of patients on a daily basis. The resources are limited, the facilities are less than modest, but the care given at this clinic is extraordinary; in fact, I am absolutely sure that it is their caring heart, Dr Dan and his BPC colleagues, that heals and cures.

Dr Dan shows how to properly wash your hands.

Just a few hours ago, Dr Dan received a young patient at his clinic, whose diagnosis says much about the challenges Timor-Leste continues to face despite our double-digit economic growth:

14 yrs old, both parents dead..taken in by another family but not given much attention..has long standing seizures and almost no speech..brought in by neighbor lady out of pure compassion..1 week of swelling of the entire body..and the heart seems hyperactive..no albumin in the urine..quite the case..until an actual young adopted family member arrived and casually mentioned that for the last 3 months her diet consisted exclusively of white rice..quickly begun on thiamine..I predict we will be pleasantly surprised.

You can read more about cases like this patient in BPC's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bairopiteclinic. For information on the BPC's activities, please see the clinic's blog Bairro Pité Clinic, where you will also find out how to help Dr Dan's work, including donations or volunteering.

More on Dr Dan's work later.