He comes in with distended abdomen, febrile, and gasping for breath.
You beg, cajole, threaten, to get a history
You examine him in the open, because the only one available screen is in use.
Sometimes no gloves, no water to wash hands
But they don't know.
X-rays can only be done between 8am and 12pm.
Lab tells u E/U/Cr results will be out in 6 hours after much pressure.
You harass the house officer, he goes to the lab and gets harassed.
You then go yourself and get your own dose of harassment.
Still they don't know.
You plead with the anaesthetist, you sign to take full responsibility to get them operate without the result
because you feel the patient doesn't have 4 hours.
Your career/life is on the line.
Yet they don't know.
You beg the blood bank to provide blood,
sometimes the relatives buy,
sometimes a member of your team donates
But they don't know.
You plead with the theatre nurses to open another theatre suite,
They refuse,they are understaffed, no one to act as scrub nurse
You tell them, no problem, a member of your team will stand in
You even promise to wash the instruments afterwards
But they don't know
You pray the operating table moves
You pray the AC works
You pray there is gas
You hope the artery forceps clamp and the scissors cuts
You make sure someone has a phone with flashlight in case the light goes off
You make sure you have enough credit on your phone in case you need to call for assistance
But they don't know
Post-operative Day 3, patient is febrile, vitals are not okay
You find out patient has not been getting his drugs
He has exhausted his hospital credit facility and has no money
You tax yourself, tax your consultant, tax your house-officer, tax the medical students
You beg other patients for their extras
But they don't know
You have being paid part salary since 2014
You are being owed exam and update refunds since 2013
Your colleagues have exited the program without being paid
But they don't know.
Please let them know, I need money. To buy food, cloth, pay my rent, pay my children school fees, provide basic needs for my FAMILY, and look after my loved ones.
I JUST NEED MY SALARY!!! PERIOD!!!
And when we say no pay no work, they threaten us with no work, no pay.
How can we compete with our colleges overseas when even the most basic of equipments are luxuries to our hospitals.

From UBTH

Kudos and grace
Please stay in the race
The harvest is not new
Labourers are still few
We weep if need be
But we must be the tree
Lest a curse be sent
That needs a quickening scent
When the throes of hurt
Have us in anger shut
And a curse find our land
and turn rivers to sand
And a quickening scent
Breathe on ghosts of saints
Belated touch of the healer
Who Will be seen then as the killer

From a colleague.
Newbornmacho

Its all going to b good bro,hold on tight.Theres no history without a story.