It is already 10 days since the nurses’
strike started and there is no news of an end to it so far.
Here in Chaaria the situation has been
terrible from the beginning because the patients from many district and
sub-district hospitals have been flocking to us looking for help.
We have always tried to cope with a lot of
self sacrifice and commitment, but honestly we feel so tired and we realize
that such a situation cannot continue for long without causing a collapse of
our institution together with serious health problems for the staff.
Outpatient department is congested seven
days a week, and at night sometimes the clients are more numerous than during
the day. The laboratory is struggling to cope with the requests and we are to
ask the staff for frequent overtime.
The wards are extremely overcrowded: this
applies above all to paediatrics and maternity. In the childrens’ room we have
reached the point of putting six or seven small patients per bed while the
mothers just sit on the chairs even during the night. In maternity the
conditions are even worse: yesterday for instance, in spite of being Saturday,
we had 20 deliveries of which 4 through Caesarean section. The good thing is
that normally a mother after delivery request to go home very soon. Even after
Cesarean section we now discharge on day 4 post operation because we do not
have beds. Yesterday there was a moment in which we had 5 deliveries in the
same moment.
In a situation like this it is obvious that
the night calls are extremely frequent: the average number of caesarean
sections per night is now 3.
For reasons not very clear it is also a
period of many attacks by thugs and it is very common to have multiple cuts to
stitch and tendons to repair.
Weekends are full as normal working days
and you can imagine how difficult it is for us working day and night seven days
a week.
But we are also motivated. It is clear to
our mind that it is exactly our mission to be there for the people who are
rejected by the other health facilities. It is our call also according to
Cottolengo spirituality and we are proud to be ready to follow in his steps.
Of course we long for the strike to come to
an end.
Dr Giuseppe Gaido
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