The African Doctor

Doctors in Kenya have threatened to paralyse services in health institutions on December 5, to push for a 300 per cent wage increase. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) over the last couple of months have successfully organized themselves on social networks and led largely by young doctors are now in negotiations with the government for pay increase.

This is not an uncommon story in Africa. Health-care systems on the continent are crippled by mass exodus of health-care workers to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa and consultants to practice abroad. Those countries are said to offer better scheme of services and do better because of augmented labour-force from neighbouring countires such as Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.

It is a vicious cycle.

I came across a blog yesterday from a young medical doctor working in Kenya which summarised the plight of the African Doctor quite impressively. It struck a chord with me, as a young doctor myself who did her internship in a government hospital too. Dr Judy Gichoya addressed a letter to 'the Kenyan patient' stating some of the hardships health-care workers have to go through but interestingly also turned it around to the patient. There are some things patients in Africa do which make the already meagre services that much more difficult to render. Here is an excerpt of her post:

 "When you as a patient makes several visits from one local traditional healer to another and bring your poisoned child and lie about it, I will not work a miracle. I have no access to ICU services and I have not toxicology support to work up what the poison is. When all people in your village go blind and you continue to drink illegal alcohol, if you continue to consume the same brew you will go blind by the time you arrive in the hospital. I appreciate second opinions, but when you keep paying money to a quark that treats you for a “weak heart” and you stop your antihypertensive medications, you will get a stroke, and there is nothing I can do about that. Moreover, if you are pregnant, but decide to stay at home with no antenatal care because the last pregnancy was fine, remember hypertension is a leading killer and if you come with eclampsia you have a high likelihood of dying. Kenyan, when was the last time you had a pap smear or visited a wellness clinic?"

Rumblings of a Geek, Health Informatician & Medical doctor

She asks for the patient to take responsibility of their health to make life easier in the treatment. Find The Informatics Daktari's blog here.

These are some of the many challenges facing the African Doctor. It is sad that it has come to doctors downing tools for governments to act on obviously detrimental conditions. The even sadder part is the people will suffer first before any change will be brought about.

What are your views?