“It’s my tea-time, I don’t collect shit pans!”

My Aunt has been admitted at a state hospital for the past two weeks, due to loosing the circulation of blood in her foot and gangrene poisoning her leg. This led to her leg being amputated.  While at the hospital she has developed pneumonia and other ailments which have affected her health. I have always heard people complaining that the health system and professionals in South Africa are bad, I can now account to this ideology.

The nurses working at Groote Schuur surgical ward F25 have shocked me in their lack of hospitality and shameful behavior towards their patients. The nurses at this ward lacked interest in monitoring the patients, assisting these patients with washing and also assisting them with the toilet pan, as these patients are not able to freely move to the bathroom. A young nursing assistant was asked to assist my Aunt by picking up her bedside pan and going to clear it after she sat with the bedside pan next to her for almost an hour without it being removed. The young nurse in a rude manner replied and said “It’s my tea-time; I don’t have time to collect shit pans!”

I now have a firsthand experience of what the majority of South Africans experience in our ailing health system. Despite the lack of resources in public hospitals, the main problem comes from the lack of ubuntu and batho-pele principles in the hospital staff. I am of the opinion that if the attitude of the staff changes it will improve service delivery and also the recovery time of patients because they will be positively motivated to get well.

What colour is the wind?

The colour of the wind depends on which direction the wind blows, as it changes direction the colour changes too.  On a wonderful blissful day, when nothing is bothering you and everything seems to go your way there seems to be a breeze, a beautiful breeze and all the colours of the rainbow show.  Motivating you to do more, smile and spread the love, there is a glow and sparkle and all the striking colours are present. 

Something changes; the blissful atmosphere disappears, the wind starts gushing as danger lies ahead of me. The calm summer wind has transformed into a confusing stormy grey wind. I stand in front of doom as I see the one who brought me into this world running out of the wind that keeps her alive.  Suddenly the breeze changes into a whirpool of rough winds, swiftly the colour changes into a dark shade.  The glossy, sparkly bright rainbow colours change into a tedious grey and a dull black. 

As we toss the soil and exclaim the words, dust to dust and ashes to ashes, the winds of change have begun in my life. I am transformed from being a child into an adult. At some point in this journey called life the gushing wind stops, there is peace and quiet. A slow wind blows again on a clear blue sky, life goes on and the colour of the wind continues its cycle of changing with the times.