Hospital Time

With over 200 people living here and around 100 extra day scholars I get a lot of requests for medical help- from minor first aid to more serious stuff.

One student approached me the other day complaining of pain that sounded to me like a UTI. I decided that this was one case I should probably refer to a higher power and decided to take her to the district hospital (around half an hours drive away).

Myself, Des, the student and her friend for company headed off to the hospital. Despite having never been there before and not speaking much of the language, it is assumed by the student that I know exactly what to do and where to go. There is a plethora of buildings with handwritten signs stuck up with tape above various doors. Luckily Des had been there previously and pointed me in the right direction for registration.

I headed up to join the long queue to give details and pay- a tired looking worker is seated in a small box like office and serving people very slowly through a grated window. A large lady in a smart blue dress waltzes up and grins widely as she elbows in front of me in the line. I thought that perhaps she was part of admin or something but as it turned out she was just a patient like us.

Eventually it is our turn, I hand over 1000 shillings (around $12) and the lady tells me registration cost 330 but I can get my change ‘later’.

We find our way  to a ‘waiting room’- a collection of chairs gathered by a couple of doors labelled ‘consultation 1’ and ‘consultation 2’. We sit waiting for quite some minutes as I try and figure out what the process is. No staff seem to be around for us to inform of our presence and I soon realise that when a patient leaves one of the rooms whoever gets in the door first gets seen next. Our blue lady friend pushes in front again (somehow she had arrived at the waiting area after us) and I wisen up and guide my student through the door next to get seen by the nurse.

The nurse tells us that we need to go to the lab for some tests. But first we must go and pay again.

Back to our reception area and we line up- rather fruitlessly as the receptionist has gone to lunch. After a wait she returns and we tell her what we have been directed to do, she says she’ll deduct 250 from my balance-I can come for change ‘later’. I’m starting to realise why they don’t give the change at the beginning!

At the lab after a wait we are given a bottle for a urine sample and sent out of the hospital to a long drop toilet at the back of the block.

The results come back within half an hour and we get told to go back to the consultation area.

Back outside the consultation rooms a fellow patient tells us the doctor ‘is not around’ so we must wait.

A nurse comes along and tells us we are not in the right area and if returned from tests we need to sit on some different chairs. We move to the right chairs. Doctor returns. It appears it doesn’t matter what chair you sit in, its still first in best served. By now my student is looking exhausted and ready to collapse, I pull her up and we stand right at the door. Someone exits the room and just as we walk in, a tiny little wippet of a kid sneaks between us and into the consultation chair.

The grinning blue lady returns and lurks behind us as if deliberating the best means to get past us and through the open door first. I can feel the competition in the air… there are no muzungu privileges here.

As soon as the kid stands up from his chair I shove my student into the room and shut the door behind us.

The doctor gives us the diagnosis (UTI -woohoo for my diagnostics!) and tells us we need to pay again and then go to the pharmacy section.

Go back to wait and pay again. When it is my turn at the window another lady pushes in front, her face cm from mine peering in the grate and speaking rapid-fire Swahili to the receptionist. She tilts her head slightly stops her Swahili and says Hi' in my face. Considering the end is in sight I manage a courteous reply.

The receptionist has lost her stapler and is faffing about rifling through papers and stuff. I don't care that my pile of receipts has no staple and just take it from her along with my few shillings change.

A final wait at the pharmacy, we are given the necessary drugs and are out of there!

Considering we are in remote Western Kenya I am relatively impressed with the services, in total it was less than three hours and around $10 and now a week later the student is much improved :)