The children of Mseleni

I have basically been running the Paediatric ward by myself – it has been quite terrifying for a while as well as just plain upsetting on many occasions. The children can be so sick when they present and it’s inconceivable how they were allowed to be so sick before bringing them hospital. Malnourishment is a major problem particularly those with underlying HIV that hasn’t been diagnosed yet. More than often I have felt quite helpless as medical management alone doesn’t suffice and they inevitably die. And there is little hope of transferring these children to referral hospitals when their baseline is poor and they lose the battle for beds – equity versus pragmatism.
I remember the cry of one Zulu mother quite vividly. The manner of mourning in the Zulu society is quite an audible process. When her poor baby died, after a haggering battle with severe sepsis, dehydration and malnutrition, she had inconsolable shrieking which i remember just piercing into my heart. I was truly very dismayed.
However, after the perpetual toll of admissions and 24 hr takes, you realise pragmatism has to supersede in order to survive this, particularly when dying babies is a common place phenomenon and actually accepted.
I began to analyse the steps to this process of demise and you realise that so many factors beyond your control determine the likes of these children. The likes of socio-economical factors, culture, access, government, politics etc..... we at the hospital front actually sit probably at the end of this chain of events.
On the happier end not all the babies die here, there are some really cute chubby ‘Michelin’ babies and not all sick ones have a miserable end. It can be quite dramatic when the helicopters land in the pad and the emergency service crew waft through to carry your kid to somewhere ‘safe’ with facilities! That does give you a feeling of change and you climb a few steps on this slippery ladder.
It’s important to utilise the weekend, a visit to the beach and watching sunset, does wanders to wash the burden of the week away into the vastness of the universe. It is a beautiful place with much beauty to discover.