It’s my birthday. Unfortunately, I will be spending it in the hospital.
Following my instincts, I do not leave early. Which is something nobody would do. Because, our hospitals are famous for having too many patients than any number of doctors can handle.
Patients tend to rise early to make it to the hospital on time.
I boil some yam, together with a tomato stew I prepared yesterday, I treat myself to a good meal right after my bath. Almost forgot, there’s some fried fish in an insulated bowl. I add it to the list of boxes my tummy will be ticking.
Ready to set off. I take along a local drink made of hibiscus leaves and ginger. Frozen. And some biscuits and bottled water, in case the going gets tough.
I walk, saving a few coins for some airtime and data. My first time at this hospital. A catholic hospital. Had to ask two pedestrians before reaching my destination. Not too far like I thought.
Initially the queues were moving faster and faster, from the counter where I gave my insurance details to where my vitals were taken.
Then came what we all dreaded:queues that never moved. The one we followed to the consulting room.
I sat, stood up, paced, shifted in my seat, played games on my phone, went to the washroom, came back, stared idly at patients and nurses and visitors moving about, even created new activities for myself to kill boredom. Yet the queue won’t move.
Behind me, a young man is complaining of how hospitals choose to hire old men who are supposed to be on retirement, doctors who can’t work faster and for long whereas there are a lot of young employed doctors in the country, sitting at home.
I was too tired to participate, my ears too weak to carry new information, yet the young man kept talking. By this time the sun had tilted its head to an angle that allowed it to peer at us directly in the face, as if the hot November winds were not enough.
Finally, it was my turn. A large consulting room with a single doctor and two nurses. The other nurse was an intern. The older nurse was teaching the intern a topic it seemed the intern found difficult in school.
“Why will our queue move faster if nurses sit here revising lessons?” I said to myself, suddenly remembering a story in the news about a nurse who alleged that she was assaulted by an impatient patient.
“Here, and there,” I indicated to the doctor, taking off my shirt to show him why I came to the hospital.
He typed and typed on the desktop computer in front of him, saying nothing for about minutes.
“Here!“ he finally said, handing me my insurance card.
” Go to the pharmacy.” he directed.
As I left the hospital for home, I pitied those who had urgent healthcare needs that had to wait this long to be attended to.
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