Hospital Wahala

The persistent calls from mum got me pissed off as well as wipe the sleep from my eyes. Having had a fully-packed week, I had it in mind to just take Saturday off to treat myself to some good rest, without any interference whatsoever.

On the phone, mum's voice expressed great worry. "Sis Milli, where are you? Your kid brother called a while ago saying he's left school for the hospital. Kindly stop everything you're doing and attend to him. You know I'm  nowhere close to you guys".

After the call, I blinked several times to hold back the tears that had welled up in my eyes because my plans had been altered. Inasmuch as I was very furious, I just threw on some clothes and headed out.

I stopped a taxi and headed straight to the location of my kid brother.Thinking it was one of his "pampering attitudes" he wore once in a while, I braced myself to straighten him once and for all.
Upon arrival and seeing him, all my anger evaporated at his state. "Weak" will be an okay word to use since I couldn't describe his state. He just lay on the floor finding it difficult to breath or move about. Helping him up, I stopped another taxi and off we went to the nearest hospital.

With some level of patience, we were attended to and the nurse at the OPD said we would be on admission because his condition was rather severe. Arrangements were made and we were ushered into the ward.

Describing our temporary stay at the hospital for a week , it was somewhat appalling. A popular saying, "there is no place like home" was all that kept ringing in my mind. It is no one's desire to be "helpless" when it comes to being sick, but then again, the title of a song came to my mind, Yare3 y3 ya! This, translated, is to say that sickness hurts.

Hospitals or health facilities, if not for anything, should be a place where human relations should be at its best. Someone may ask, why? Because it's humans you're dealing with and some might actually agree with me that the issue about humans is but a delicate one.

People walk in and out of a health facility with different kinds of ailments and if I dare say, the communication between a health worker and a patient is more than enough to either worsen the situation or help one get better.

While in the ward, I just sat by myself quietly praying and observing because I had obviously taken the place of my parents for my brother and had to help in every manner or way. Being the silent observer that I am, I looked on as the nurses went about their schedules.I mentally took note of the kinds of patients in the ward. I realized that some found a way to help themselves whereas some were just helpless. I can't go into details with that because I am not sure some readers will have an appetite. But to make things comprehensive, they had to rely on someone for virtually everything.

Then again, I realized there were times guardians of these patients had to excuse them so they could get some rest.

What irked me was the attitude some of these nurses had. It ranged from shouting at a patient, sleeping off while on duty and wearing a "not-friendly" face to the relatives. This realization compelled me, as inquisitive as I could be, sometimes, to get access to the etiquettes and ethics they had to go by.

Having been informed a bit about a friend who happened to be a nurse, she explained to me that their  etiquette centers on courteousness. Then I was like, really? And she responded in the affirmative. Then I went on to the ethics which talks about conducts of health personnel.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN), code of ethics guides nurses in everyday choices and it supports their refusal to participate in activities that conflict with caring and healing. If this is for nurses worldwide, I searched further for that of nurses in Ghana. Having read through, some peculiar ones made me wonder if that's what is being done.
*All service personnel shall be competent, dedicated, honest, client-focused and operate within the laws of the land.
*All service personnel shall respect the rights of patients/clients, colleagues and other persons and shall safeguard patients/clients confidence.
*Team work to ensure excellent delivery
* Cooperation with patients/clients and their families at all times
*All service personnel should refrain from all acts of indiscipline.

There I was, with a blank mind, as my kid brother's situation worsened by day. As if it wasn't enough, I had to pretend attitudes from some of the nurses weren't indiscipline.
If it's already been stipulated that they cooperate with families of patients/clients at all times, why on earth will a nurse yell at both patients and their family members when the former is mostly about negligence?

As if sleeping off while at post isn't enough, they allowed infusions to get finished and the tubes draw  blood from the veins of  patients.

I further went ahead to search for the rights of patients which I'd say centers on safety, information and quality health care. Responsibilities of patients also made me know that there had to be cooperation at all times and health workers be reported if it turned out otherwise.

Even though I realized that student nurses were around for clinicals, most of the nurses, took on the "I don't care" attitude, thereby burdening the student nurses. Should matters be more than they could handle be reported to them, (nurses) they tend to shuffle their feet to do what is expected of them.

Then again I asked myself, whether oaths or pledges are not taken by these people. I found again that there was and even a prayer which in summary talks about they saving and not hurting people. But what is made out of these? Is it that people for the reason that for want of jobs, people quickly venture into a profession that will ensure employment and income, without actually having a passion or "calling" for it?

There sure is something called mood swings but so long as it's human beings you find yourself working around on a daily basis, much effort must be made to address issues which won't do one any good at his or her place of work.