BLUES

" Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people." Roy T. Bennett

Today was meant to be a good day after all, isn't it Labour day. The day we celebrate the achievements of workers but today my heart is broken. It is broken because with the pandemic so many unprecedented effects came with it. People have lost their livelihoods and hence they can not meet their basic needs. Today this hit home, it all began with watching a video of a lady boiling stones in the guise of food to ease her children's' hunger pangs. This was then followed up by a tuk-tuk ride where the unknown driver begged me for a loan as he has become desperate for money. He and his family will get thrown out for he has very few clients and has not made enough money for rent. Then I walked into one of the local supermarkets and saw a man look at his shopping list then his wallet and shake his head. He then proceeded to pick only a packet of salt and walked to the counter. Finally, my day ended reviewing a conversation with a friend of mine who has no income currently since there are no clients and has been forced to shut down his business. When one becomes keen enough to observe and to listen but can at least afford the bare minimum or more you tend to feel ignorant for all the times you took these things for granted.

I'm further heartbroken for I can not manage to help a large group of people but I am grateful that I can at least help a few. It may not be for a long time but on those days when I can, I choose to help and so should you. We have been witnessing increasing Co-VID-19 cases and this has led to an extension of the lockdown in some parts so why are the numbers still going up? They are going up because with no source of revenue people are getting more desperate to earn a living and not really caring about the measures put in place. This is predominantly true in the coastal region where some people are blatantly ignoring the put-down safety measures. The public service vehicles are still carrying excess passengers to earn a bit extra, the passengers are often not openly raising concern over this as everyone is in a rush to go earn the little money they can. Unscrupulous businesses are using soap in the guise of sanitizer hence hand hygiene compliance is a fail. Social distancing is actively not being practiced. Some people still believe that the pandemic does not exist as they are yet to witness someone close to them get unwell. All this means that more and more people will end up being in need for a long time. Abraham Maslow said it best  “When people appear to be something other than good and decent, it is only because they are reacting to stress, pain, or the deprivation of basic human needs such as security, love, and self-esteem.”

How can you and I help?

1. Charity begins at home

“Many of us dream of a better, safer, more caring world, without recognizing that it all begins with creating and maintaining a deeper love in our own home. The seeds of world peace should be planted in our own backyard.”Anthon St. Maarten
Has your neighbor, caretaker,  watchman, grandmother, a friend, etc met their basic needs? Ask do not assume. Human nature may lead to most people not disclosing their needs or problems until they get into desperation.

2. Work with what you have.

Upon having a candid conversation with one of my close friends and I vented so much on the same she reminded me of this quote “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
Arthur Ashe.
If you have a surplus supply of cash that is wonderful but if you are also operating on a tight budget look at your shopping list. What does not meet an urgent need? Once you have identified it, replace it with an essential item for instance foodstuffs, pads, etc. If it is a local supermarket such as Naivas which has a care box at the exit drop it off there. If that is still not an option send the little you have to authentic pay bills it will get to someone in need. One can also support a friend who has identified people in need and maybe created a budget for what they may need. Pick an item on the list and buy that. There is so much we can do. we just need to take the time to think about it.

As we brace ourselves for the great depression do not forget to be your brother's keeper. We as health professionals are already experiencing a hard time emotionally and physically but we should never forget that "Strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others."

DOGMA

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin

How are you coping so far? Have you made strides in taking up this crisis in a positive outlook? I have or rather to be more genuine, I am intentionally striving to take it positively with each dawn. It is no easy task but as long as I am alive and healthy I choose to celebrate my small wins. It has been a while since my previous blog post but I had taken more time to reflect on two things. Firstly, the value placed on us health professionals and secondly,  the value we place upon ourselves. What do you think is the answer to this?

Worldwide I am noticing that the health workers' narrative is being controlled. Often it is by the same people declaring to be supporting the workforce. It is time we constructively critic this for it may be the only way to get back our power and to receive our worth. Effective change is uncomfortable but it is necessary. Bill Clinton once said that “The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change.”

Have you been keen to listen and to watch things closely? I have been and this is what I have noticed. PS. This is my personal opinion

1.  There is a specific choice of words

Have you asked yourselves on the genesis of the use of the following terms; healthcare heroes, going to war, going to the frontline while referring to going to work?  I had casually adopted it and put it down on a message but something always felt off. As health professionals we are obliged to prevent illness and promote wellness irrespective of the scale so why are we adopting military terms. I began to look into it I was not getting enough information on the same till I came across an article that briefly explained it. The use of military terms in past experiences has been noted to be more effective in generating emotions among people and directly this also affects our psychological response. I have attached a link to an article that seeks to explain this better than I do. I encourage you to read it and continue reading more on this then draw a conclusion for self https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/opinion/comment/covid-19-why-we-need-to-ditch-military-terms-160071.

2. Use of different antics that act as indirect gag orders

Most countries are facing a shortage of personal protective gear and with that more and more health workers are being infected in the workplace. However, as you may have noticed those on the ground are not allowed to openly discuss it on their platforms further still some are not allowed to seek assistance externally. This is mostly to save face. Often it is achieved through a subliminal manner and it may go unnoticed to some people. For example, some sublime antics would be you raise a concern on inadequate PPEs then get told off through statements like "you have to provide care being that its what you are employed to do. Otherwise, go home and lose your job."

3. The moralization of poor practice

Evolution in healthcare has shown that every couple of years a crisis strikes. It can be either man-made or naturally occurring and this always creates a disaster that may, unfortunately, end in many fatalities such as we are experiencing now. With this same evolution, we have seen how the provision of care has become very commercialized resulting in hospital bills racking up to millions. Currently, in our country, most insurance companies declined to pay for CoVID-19 patients due to their being high-risk. As health workers what have we done to shed light on this?  Are we not supposed to be the patients' advocates? Why have we allowed ourselves to keep quiet on this issue? Is it because we have something to gain in terms of retaining favor with the same companies and therefore not lose the client/patient base? I have attached  an article that explains the moralization of different practices and the legal implication of the same in healthcare please review https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-101518-042853.


4. Our benefits are predetermined

 With increasing physical and psychological demands upon the healthcare workers, there isn't any vast evidence of intentional inquiry upon what we actually need. The great assumption implies that what we need is just recognition for still doing our job which is disease prevention and health promotion. However, if we were to be asked then it would be identified that what we actually need is improved pay, better work conditions, better health policies, and all those things we have all been discussing in our different forums. I am not saying that being applauded at and having a helicopter fly-by declaring a positive message is not appreciated but with the powers, our leaders have this is just a PR stunt to seem like something is being done yet nothing is actually been done.


How then can we as team players be involved in changing the narrative;

1. Seek to get actively involved with the stakeholders

I applaud the different organizations eg NNAK, KMPDU, the different hospital management offering a listening ear to our needs, and anyone playing their part well. However, it is upon all of us to seek to communicate our needs and grievances to facilitate inter collaboration. We still have a long way to go and it for us to try to formulate solutions for the problems we are currently facing. This is the best way we can control the narrative. I had highlighted this in the following blog post titled yes we can https://lilylovelong.blogspot.com/2020/01/yes-we-can.html.

2. Actively use the networks you have created

We often interact with people working in different organizations meaning we have a great pool of ideas and we should discuss and borrow best practices from each other. Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

3. Be more open-minded
We should try to always challenge the status quo for change to happen. It should be approached in a smart way for it to be effective. Tina Seelig in her book titled What I wish I knew when I was 20 she recommends that: one should not dismiss an idea no matter how wild it is. They may appear silly on the surface but with the right frame of mind, you can get something valuable out of everything.

As I conclude, as we keep striving to get ourselves out of Coronaville it is important to always remember this  quote “The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” Kakuzō Okakura, The Book of Tea