Often living here doesn't feel difficult. We still eat, cook, sleep, work... but tonight I found myself packing for a doctors visit tomorrow- and it suddenly struck me as odd. I've never packed an overnight bag for a routine doctors visit before...
its ok- it's not an emergency. im not dying- I'd just like a quick visit to the doctor to get a niggling health issue checked. Easy, right? call in the morning, make an appointment, show up, wait an hour, see the doctor, go home.
Not so Malawi.
Because I refuse to attend the local hospital (which services almost a million people and probably wouldn't look at me anyway cos I don't look sick) I have to get up at 5 am, leave for the nearest city at 5.30am (less people and animalian traffic on the road), drive for 2.5hrs, then I have 2 options- walk into emergency at one of the private hospitals, or take a ticket at the doctors and wait for my number to be called. See the doctor, then I can go home.
Unless...I'm given a prescription to fill, in which case I'll probably spendthe next few hours trying to locate a chemist that has the prescribed medicine in stock... and then do our grocery shopping and then drive 2.5 hrs home again. OR
Even worse- I might need tests- which means either way I'll end up in the emergency department of a private hospital and invariably stay the night whilst waiting for test results. Last time I went to the doctor I had to talk him out of sending me to South Africa for the day!
Sometimes life here conspires to be difficult, but thank God for access to health care I say
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2 comments:
And I thought waiting for 2 hours in my GP yesterday was difficult...
Ive discovered africa has a way of putting everything into perspective! hey- try sending your GP a bill for the time you spend in the waiting room :) might help get the message across!
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