Somaliland: Hospital or Heartbreak Hotel
By Nouri Omer Abdullahi
Getting sick is never easy, on the other hand getting sick in Africa, now that is a different story all together. I’m sure that my experience was not one of kind but I’m the one that had to endure it that is why I decided to write about it. It all began two weeks ago when I started feeling some pain on the left side of my body, I tried to ignore this pain but it only get worse, and since I was taking hypertension Meads I started to worry about stroke and other heart problems. The problem was this it all happened on a Friday morning in Hargeisa, Somaliland. This only means that it was a weekend, and I believe the result would have been the same any day of the week. What happened during my 24 hour stay at Adena, Hospital was what makes this story interesting, disturbing, and at the same time worthy of writing about.
I started to feel really bad so I called my sister Shadia who has been an RN, for at least 20 years, who also hast vast experience in emergency, and recovery care. Normally when I get sick I’m not ashamed to say that I start to cry out of fear and frustration, this time was no different. So I call Shady crying and tell her about my symptoms where she in return starts to ask me all kinds of questions about what I was experiencing in a calm manor, I know she is worried but she shows a mix of concern and medical professionalism which calms me. When I finish telling her what ills me she assures me it’s not my heart, and that I was not dying. In short she tells me to go see a doctor.When I remind her it was Friday and that everything is closed she says to find a hospital that is open.
Next I called our friend Amal who informed me that Edna Hospital is the only one that is open and has Doctors on call even on weekends. I was relieved to hear this, so I asked her to come and take me since I was not going to be able to drive. Oh I forgot to tell you that I was crying on the phone with Amal too, I did that to get across to her that this was serious. Any who! My friend arrives in less than half an hour and rushes me to this Edna Hospital, when I get there I go in this room where a apparently I was seen by two Nurses one male and one female this gave me a feeling of security, and comfort. They start to ask me what was wrong I give them the whole story, where they start to check my vitals, these two new what they were doing and they were very kind too me. The female nurse seemed to me to have experience in Emergency care, and was helping the male Nurse along, I asked if there was a doctor on hand I was assured there in fact there was one doctor John on the premises.
The Female Nurse gave me this pill to put under my tong since I complained about pain in my heart. After about maybe two minutes I start to feel my heart beat way too fast, and start to feel light headed, this was when I demanded to see the doctor. They said they were going to put me in a room to rest till the doctor gets to me, they placed me in the maternity ward where they put women after delivery, luckily all the other beds were empty for the time being. My friend Amal was there for the whole thing and was very concerned telling the Nurses to hurry up and call the Doc to come and see me, in the meantime my pain is getting worse by the minute.
Realizing that I was going to be in this place for a while my friend goes off to get me some food, and a book to read from my house, while she was gone the doctor shows up with this other women whom I had no idea what her purpose for being there was. They stood a few feet from where I was laid out and started to ask me what the problem was. I in return was a bit concern about the fact that he has not made an attempt to check me so I volunteered a bit of my medical history and my symptoms at the time. Finally he tells the nurse to give me some kind of pain medicine, and to monitor my blood pressure, then he started to walk away, naturally I stopped him to ask what was wrong, he said we won’t know till we take some tests in the morning. I was not feeling any better and when the Nurse came in next she hands me the prescription to fill. This is not uncommon for the hospital patient to fill and buy their prescription themselves in Somaliland. So there I was in pain with no one to buy my meads since Amal was gone to get me some things from home
The fun really started later in the evening when I was asked to move from maternity to the other word for regular patients. I asked for a privet room and was told there were no rooms available, so I picked up my things and started walking towards the room knowing I was not going to like it. I walk in to this small room with four beds with three of the beds occupied, the smell and stuffiness of the room hit me first, and then I stood there at the door with at least twenty pairs of eyes staring at me refusing to look away. I turn back on m heals running into Amal who was helping me move almost head bumping heads. I told her there was no way I was to spend the night in that room and that I would suffocate if I did. Amal went back to reception while I sat out in the waiting area to see what she can do. When she got back the news was not good. We both sat outside to go and get much needed fresh air and to discuss what I should do. At the end we decided that I should stay the night since there was a doctor close by, hopefully.
I put on my big girl underpants and a brave face then walked in to the room with everyone staring at me shamelessly. The only bed available was in the middle of the room, I settled in and the questions began, by now including my chest pain I also developed this horrendous headache so I can hardly talk. The questions were not directed at me in the beginning, the people in the room were asking each other what was wrong with me and started to guess among themselves, then after a while they turned to me for answers, since talking, and socializing was the furthest thing from my mind. I was feeling self-conscious because the two of the patients and their company, some on chairs and the rest on mats were waiting for answers. I mustered up some energy out of politeness and told them what was wrong me, after that started to pretend I was reading my book.
An hour later the cleaning lady comes in and starts to sweep, screaming at the people to move out of her way, she was really rude to everyone. Then the dust starts to fly everywhere, I was shocked but I did not have the strength to protest. The party was in full swing by nine in the evening, where the people visiting the lady on my right started breaking out the picnic basket, asking each other if they had dinner yet. Off course no one did so the tea, milk and bread started to fly, also the conversation got livelier. One of the visiting ladies asked one of the patients about my colourful quilt that Amal brought from my house for comfort. She asked if the hospital gives those to the patients, and the lady says “No they don’t she probably brought it from home.” Then the curios one says “Now I have seen it all.” with a mystified look at me. This is all happens while I sat there and listen.
It’s now eleven at night, the lights are on full in the room, the new shift Nurse comes in to check vitals, I tell her I’m in pain so she goes out and comes back with a souring full of something so I ask her what it was she says rudely “What do you think?, you said you were in pain turn over.” I have this phobia about shots and this women was about give one in the ass. I can’t remember when the last time I took a needle in the butt cheek was. I asked what kind of pain medicine it was and she says flatly “itsanti-pain.” I sighed and turned over; I was in agony and had no other choice.Thinking back to the whole ordeal I realized she did not even ask if I was allergic to anything, as luck would have it I’m not.
The only time I saw the two Nurses on duty that night was when I heard one of them tell the lady on my right who by now was awake and being fed by a family member, to remember to take her medication at two in the morning. Also she checked up on the patient on my left, who I believe was suffering from asthma, who was hooked up to some kind of pain medication slow drip, I think the reason for the slow drip was because it was strong stuff. It’s about midnight and none of the visitors wereplanning to go home. I think by now I gave up on sleep, I was so miserable the sick lady next to me was kind enough to ask everyone to talk a little lower so I can sleep. She was this really nice old lady who had her daughter with her to take care of her, now I completely understand why you would need family with you at all times at these hospitals.
By now the room got a little quieter with the departure of some of the party guests but not all. What I found strange the whole night was the fact that the cleaning lady came in to sweep and mop every other hour, disturbing everyone in the room. I finally had enough and asked why they were doing this when we are trying to get some sleep. She got all huffy and puffy saying that it was her job and that she would be in big trouble with management if she doesn’t clean the whole room, this meant that she would ask the people who were sleeping on the mats to get up and move. I felt sorry for one particular old lady who was there to help the lady on my right side. She was old and tired and they kept waking her up every time they come in to clean.
It’s real late now and I have given up hope on sleep, the lights never shot off, the old lady on my left was worried about what I assumed was her morphine drip finishing. It looked like her daughter who was there to take care of her was out for the count on the bed next to her, so I took it upon myself to tell her to get some rest and I will let her know when it was finished. I came to realize later that it was going to take a long time before that happens. Also my other neighbour was asking me “Is it two o’clock yet?” Every five minutes, so to put us both out of our misery I told her to go ahead and get some sleep, and that I will wake her when it was time. Even though I was tired I was feeling a bit better so I tried to read while I played Nurse to my poor roommates.
Things started to get interesting when the reception guy comes in dragging an extra bed looking around to see if there was space in the room he positioned the bed right next to entrance of the room. He comes back rolling in this woman who lookedunconscious; with her were two teenage boys who look to me like her children and an older woman who seem to have everything under control, including the boys who she sent home for the night without any consideration for their wishes to stay. The patient was in and out of consciousness, where she would let out a great bellowing scream whenever she comes to.
I realize that no one was coming to check on these poor women. After twenty minutes or so I go to the Nurses’ station to see if they can call the doctor. To my surprise they tell me there was no Doctor coming, when I asked them to get off their asses and go tend to her, the dumb Nurse says to me. “Hey this is Africa OK.” That was it. I have had it by then, this was the last draw. I walked in stood in front of her and said “Is this all the English you pick up from whoever you picked it up from, shame on you.” Then I tried to get a hold of myself and told them to both get up and go check on their patient, unless they want me to disturb the rest of their guests who managed to actually get some sleep in this hellhole they are calling a hospital. At that they both sprang out of their chairs and ran to the room where the woman was at that time out for the count, again.
The new patient was left to her on device although she was gone to the world most of the time, when all of a sudden her boys came back in trying to revive her but to no avail. They start crying and screaming, “Mammy Mammy please wake up” but the lady that was taking care of her, and moving her this way and that way trying to face her towards Mecca, to meet her maker when her time came, asked the boys to go away and leave them alone. I was thinking how she dare send these kids off when all they wanted was to be with their mother. Anyway this kept on till the wee hours of the morning when, I finally decided to distance myself from this cereal and bazaar situation and try to get some sleep.
The next thing I know it is morning, by divine miracle I have managed two hours of sleep. As I try to get back to sleep, the esteemed doctor walks in and starts checking on his neglected patients from the night before, strangely accompanied by the same women from the day before. To this day I have no idea who she was since there were no introductions made. By now I have had it with the place so I decided to check out from heartbreak hotel. I called the doctor over and asked to be released. He seemed to be surprised at this, but I was not having any of it was time to go. I paid my bill and checked out.