I hate and love this picture because it depicts my life, to be specific my career life in equal measures.
I had my Sick and cranky son with me in theater because on that
specific call week, I had no nanny,my able nanny was at a burial. My
partner was away, we worked in different hospitals hundreds of
kilometers apart. It was a weekend, so no colleague would have helped.
The understaffed Olkalou district hospital has only one doctor covering
the hospital every night and all weekend. no nurse would have helped
carry my Temi, they were engaged in labour suite, the only available
nurse covering the hospital had gone for a referral to nakuru pgh. everything had worked to lead us here.
I was three months pregnant. It was not the first time, this had
happened severally, mostly when, like any mother, previous nannies would
be overwhelmed by my call weeks.
I hate that I have my son in theatre when he should be well settled in his bed.
I hate that I was weak, tired and nauseous, and yet still yielded a knife in my hand.
I hate the fact I couldnt refer this woman,the mother and baby wouldn’t have made it.
I love that they both lived.
I love that my nanny came back and rescued us.
I hate that, after three years of service to Olkalou district hospital
the county went ahead to deny me my well deserved study leave despite
sponsoring every other doctor therein with less years experience simply
because, in their words, “what assurance did they have I’d return as a
consultant? “.my last name is swaleh, not kamau,kinyanjui, karanja…. I
was forced into a resignation.
I hate that the county is still rife with corruption, extravagance,
buying Christmas trees worth 2 million each, instead of dealing with all
these inadequacies, failed systems,instead of paying me my well
deserved money.
I’ve neared that point where I’ll no longer care, I’ve given way too
much of myself, my family, my kid, my marriage, my emotions,my health,
to this failed system. Like a damaged lover who takes all the life from
you and leaves you as a shell of your former self.this failed system
keeps stealing my joy in this great profession.
Only the CBA can right these wrongs. It is not government pay doctors.
No. For what is a full pocket if I still have to go through all these
motions again?
It is, government implement the cba. Simple. I want my stolen joy restored.
Kenyans should be asking for their joy too.
Tell me how comfortable you would be seeing your pregnant surgeon carrying a cranky sick crying toddler.
#lipakamatender