A Glimpse Into the Life of the Poor...

Tuesday morning I recieved 4 "please call me's" from my friend Mpume, whom many of you have heard me talk about. In SA you dont use your airtime unless you are the one to make the call, so someone can call you and you will not be charged. A "please call me" allows the person to send it for free so that someone may call them back when they do not have airtime. Anyways I called her back and she frantically said "Asanda has been burned". I told her I was on my way. I could tell in her voice that it was serious so I didnt even ask. I sped to the valley where they live and she was standing on the road with a crowd holding the baby across her arms with her chest up waiting for me. Asanda's chest was raw pink, and she had huge blisters all over her chin, neck, and arms. I almost started crying as soon as I saw her but knew I could not as it might scare Mpume even more. When Mpume called I could hear Asanda screaming, but now she was quiet and almost despondant seemingly falling into a state of shock. Mpume obviously has no health coverage as she is quite poor. I did not know where to take her- the Govt hospital was too far so I said we will just go to Hillcrest and I'll pay it, because she needed immediate attention. So we rushed to Hillcrest Hospital and were stopped at the security gate. The gatekeeper was busy talking to someone and I shouted out "We have a burned baby, we need to get it!!" She looked at me as though I just said the grass was green and she had no care in the world. She sauntered to the button and opened it as we sped through (Meanwhile I am having visions of running her over). There are no signs for anything so we stopped and asked where to go. We were pointed to a building in which I parked, ran in and told them what was happening. The nurse then said they do not have an emergency dept and we must go to the Hillcrest Medicross emergency center. (What kind of hospital has no emergency unit I have no idea) So we rushed to another place in which we did recieve great care and the baby was treated for the immediate need and we were referred to the Govt hospital for further treatment. Because of all I have heard about the Govt hospitals- Im sure you can imagine...I asked if there was anywhere else we could go. They referred us to a semi private Hospital in which we would pay an initail 2 or 3 hundred bucks and go from there. They called them to make sure they were capable of taking a case like this and they said yes. So we got back in the car with Asanda now wrapped up and given pain meds. This hospital was about 30 min away and when we got there we had to go through all this red tape and then the docter ended up telling us they werent prepared for a case like this!!! So we had to continue onward further out to the Govt hospital we were supposed to go to in the first place. The whole time I am driving I am holding back tears. Tears for Asanda and Mpume. Tears at how scared Mpume must be, Tears at the pain Asanda is feeling, Tears at the thought she may be permenatly scared form her chin to her chest, Tears because I was thinking "what if I wasnt here?? What would happen? They would have had NO WAY to get anywhere, no money...what would happen? This is not just, this is not Godly. Would this baby just die if I wasnt here to go get them?" It was difficult to be faced with an emergency in a country in which poor people have no transport, no priority, and obviously no money. Then I started thinking about all the people who dont have a friend who drives and has a car...what do they do when there is an emeregency??? How do they even get out of the valley? Or do they? Do they just stay and die? We finally reached the Government hospital and fortunatley for Mpume and Asanda an Mlungu- white person- was with them. Although this is a discusting way that this country works, it was fortunate for Mpume and Asanda that I was there because white people seem to get better treatment which is ridiculous!!!! Also because of history and many things I wont get into, blacks are usually not aware of their rights and are not assertive. I just walked up to a docter bypassing all the lines and said "we have a baby who has been burned, we need to see a docter" and we seemed to get shuffled through quickly as everyone in the lines looked on- most likely cursing me. I thought maybe it was because of the fact that a baby was burned in such a place, but Mpume and others after the fact said no- it was because she was with a white person. So again, what if I wasnt there? Whats if she had somehow managed to get Asanda there by herself she would have been waiting in lines for hours and hours. They didnt tell her much throughot the whole thing- people kept talking to me, She's the mother!! But apperently skin color says more....I was also asking many questions to be kept informed, but otherwise they would not have offered Mpume much information about her child. Eventually we were directed to the childs ward where there is a "burn unit" that is "supposed" to be sterile and free from germs- I wont even get into that....Of course Mpume is not going to leave her baby so she plans on staying at the hospital. She has nothing with her. I got her some food and had to leave about 3:30 to pick up Maxwell- a team member who was at another hospital with his wife, Sli who is having enormous stomach pains and is 7 months pregnant (I dropped them off earlier on the way to the first hospital after Asanda was initially treated) This "burn unit" for Asanda has nothing for parents but a small wooden bench to sit on. No toilet, no comfortable chair, no cot to sleep on. Asanda was the only one in that unit, yet when Mpume took one of the small mattresses form the crib to try to sleep on the floor at night she was yelled at and told if she doesnt follow the rules she can leave. I swear if I was there, their would have been some words. She is not allowed to use the toilet on the 5th floor becasue "she is not a patient" so she has to go all the way down to ground and get a key just to go to the toilet!! There is no where for her to wash or get food. And this is normal for them!! They are used to this kind of treatment and seemingly have no choice but to put up with it, its appalling!! So today I went to visit to bring her a bag, some more food, and I took Sne (Mpume's other daughter) and her cousin so they could visit. When we got there (its not close) The lady at the gate said we couldnt go in b/c its not visiting hrs. I told her we had to because the mom has been there for 3 days with nothing and we need to give her the bag, she kind of sighed and I just walked through. I have another feeling that would not have happened if I wasnt white. So we got up to the ward and on our way into the room the nurse says the kids cant go in there because the room is "sterile" and needs to be kept free of infection. Now I understand this conceprt when there are open wounds. However, NOTHING about the room or how they were operating was sterile. It was like they are trying to fool people into thinking they know what they are doing. The door was kept open for crying out loud and even Mpume was in normal street clothes!! So irritating. So of course me, being me, I put the little "useless" plastic aprons on all of us, get our hands washed and we all sit down right inside the door. Asanda loves her sister and cousin and as soon as she saw them would not stay away. So we sat there and played and chatted until about 30 min later another nurse comes and asks who I am. The problem with having black friends is you cant really pass for family! But I said I was the Auntie anyways, and she said the children cannot be in here and in fact they must wait outside down the hall. Now if were talking about spreading infection, I have no idea why its ok for me to come in but not the kids! So we had to leave, because we were not going to make the kids wait outside and Asanda would have been trying to go out anyways. I was so irritated at the treatment. Mpume was AFRAID to do anything because the nurses would yell at her. Asanda fell and I saw Mpume's face as she looked up to see if the nurse saw it...it was heartbreaking. Asanda is looking better although her chest is still raw and her temp as been up and down. We do not know when she will be discharged. Meanwhile Mpume is there with an impossiblity of sleeping until she gets so tired she sleeps sitting up on a wooden bench, no where to wash, use the toilet, or get food..... Maybe we should give it a little more thought before we compain about the cost of our healthcare...I dont know, but maybe. Please keep Mpume and her kiddos in your prayers, I will keep you posted when Asanda gets discharged.