Day 11, every morning is turning into a bit of a farcical head count. We play the “let’s see what staff we have today game”, unfortunately it’s the patients that are the losers. One of my patients died last night. His wife could be heard wailing on the ward today. We blank it out and carry on. I don’t know whether with better management from a full staff of nurses he would survive, it’s tragic that its even a possibility.
The trench camaraderie is exhilarating though, everyone getting involved, coming back after hours to make sure the patients are getting basic comforts such as dinner, blankets, medications and turned to avoid pressure sores. We’ve had to cancel our weekend plans of all going up to cabins in the game park. We may need to help out if as expected nurses and domestic staff stay away over the weekend. We mostly don’t mind because there is a sense of ownership, this is our hospital, we will keep it open and ensure those who need it most can be helped with whatever we can muster.
The medical manager has known some of the strikers all their lives and helped get them jobs. The seniors have worked with them day in and day out for years and now the friction is palpable with threats of disciplinary action when the strikes end. It makes me wonder what can lead people to such action? Being privileged enough that I’ve never had to worry about money, it is hard to fathom how dire people must feel to turn on those they have trusted for so long.
As a doctor, especially in the NHS, I think there has been many a time when I’ve felt strike action should be taken, yet as a concept this would never be considered. I do not necessarily think it is because we are humanitarians with hearts of gold, but as people who provide care to the sickest it feels wrong that we hold to ransom the neediest. Perhaps that’s why as a group we in the NHS are often manipulated by those who know that our sense of duty would prevent us from carrying out such actions.
The sick trickle through and today we had a boy who had been fitting for three days. The family took him to a traditional healer as it seemed easier than coming to the hospital with the picket lines. He has HIV and neurological signs of a lesion inside his brain. Along with the temperature and poor nutrition the prognosis is not good. Close monitoring will not be possible with the skeleton staff but even without the strikes his multiple problems would complicate a possibility of a transfer for further management. As the hospital normally has patients this sick, one has to wonder what the rest of them are doing during the strikes, are they staying away and getting sicker for fear of the picket lines?
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