Saying Goodbye

This will be my last post written from this little internet café here in Lusaka. On Sunday I leave for my holiday in South Africa, where I will probably spend most of my time doing transcriptions of my interviews. 

The interviews went well, although I did not manage to get 8 interviews, as there were not that many teachers that fit the criteria of the study, but I’m grateful for the 5 that I managed to get.

So now, I’m busy frantically doing last minute stuff, like getting my assessment forms filled and signed, saying goodbye to all the lovely people that helped me here, and last of my biggest worries…packing! argh…I really really hope that I don’t have overweight.

trying not to cry. Sorry in advance if I’m going to be in a bad mood for the next three days.

Anyway, Zambia has not seen the last of me. I’LL BE BACK!!!!! Mwuaahahahahahahaha.

This is me in the Operating Room, or as it is known in Zambia: Operating theatre. The procedure I’m scrubbed for is a tracheostomy.

I’m totally going to miss Zambian food! (which tastes best when using your fingers)

I went on a stroll into town with a friend. this road is just around the corner from the UTH.

Independence avenue where my friend and I happened to stroll by. Its actually a very pretty street

 

Health Tip: Avoid using unwashed hands to eat your food in Zambia.

Strike!

(Above: Nurses’ strike worsens situation at hospitals” – nurses and doctors strike in response to a major corruption scandal at the ministry of health 10 billion Kwacha scam. 1USD=5500ZK, and 1€=7000ZK. – photo courtesy of a friend)

Right now the UTH is in a state of chaos. The doctors are striking, the nurses are striking and the patients seem to be striking as well because the wards are empty.

The government is keeping suspiciously quiet, the media is painting fantasy pictures of the situation and I’m stuck in the middle wondering why my friends are nowhere to be seen.

My best friend here in Zambia is also a student nurse, and she, amongst all the other students are being put to work.

This of course makes the nurse’s strike completely ineffective because they are using (or in my opinion abusing) med students and nursing students. The nursing teachers are also being put to work along side the students.

Uth has promised some kind of pay for the students, but its still not yet confirmed.

Today I spoke to one of the resident surgeons, and he informed me that the doctors will be going back to work tomorrow, following negotiations, but nothing has been finalized yet.

In my opinion, if you want a strike to be successful you should not give the government any options to bail out, or to cheat by using cheap labour. When the nurses were striking in Finland in late 2007, they went to extremes by actually threatening to quit their jobs (check out my post on the subject), and the student nurses signed an agreement that they will not work as substitutes when the registered nurses are striking. It came down to a bitter fight with people blaming anything and anyone and the media of course confusing people more than informing them, but in the end the nurses won because they stuck together. I think the nurses deserved to win and I was happy that things turned out the way they did because it affects my future too.

However when I look at the situation here in Zambia, it is clear to anyone that the nurses here are the most under appreciated, under paid and overworked workers, and yet they are the most vital together with doctors. It makes me very sad to see that a government seems to care so little about its health care workers by letting things spiral out of control like this.

I feel for the students, because they deserve, if anything, a better future than a monthly 1,3 million Kwacha (=€185) paycheck.

 

Health tip: try not to get sick in times like these….

Approved!

Finally today I went to see the secretary of the research ethics committee, and the chairwoman of the ethics committee happened to be there. I handed in my corrected papers… (yesterday I received the feedback, which stated that I was required to only draft a budget, and provide an information sheet with contact details for all participants, and then my proposal would be approved)…And I was asked to first wait in another office.

At the same time came another girl from England who was there for the exact same reason, and together we waited and exchanged our stories of frustration, anticipation and stress concerning the ethical approval of our projects. We had both at approximately the same time been calling the poor secretary almost everyday, only to be told to call the next day or the following afternoon.

Then the secretary, a very kind and friendly lady, entered the office where we were seated, and she handed each of us a signed letter announcing that our projects were approved ethically.

We were both so happy that we almost danced out of the university building and agreed to meet up again on friday to celebrate.

I sent a text message to all my friends, and to some important contacts in Finland and right now I’m sitting in this here internet cafe, perched victoriously on a high chair, having just conquered my nemesis, ‘bureaucracy’.

And now, the hard work is going to start.

Health tip: Oh I can’t think of a bloody health tip at this point…

P.s. the botswana trip went well. Spent one night in Gaborone, and spent altogether at least three days traveling on these wretched african busses. below are some pictures of the Kazungula border, and the crossing of the Zambezi river.