Strike Three--GET OUT.

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Trip Start Jun 29, 2009 Previous
Entry Trip End Aug 10, 2009

  Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Thursday, July 30, 2009

One thing I didn't mention in my previous entry was that although the health workers are part of the SAMWU, they did not go on strike for ethical reasons.  To demand higher wages is one thing, but to leave patients stranded, many of which need their ARV's daily, is another.  Unfortunately the workers in the other segments of government services don't agree.  As a matter of fact, they get angry at the clinic workers for not striking with them, and at times they've been known to make a big deal about it.

Wednesday morning began like any other.  We were told it should be okay to take the train to Wynberg, since it heads away from the City Centre (where any "demonstrations" by police were more likely to happen), so Whitney, Sarah, and I all traveled together.  We were each carrying a large item--Whitney had a box of school supplies, I had a box of toys (both boxes were sent by Whitney's family friend to give to the children in the area), and Sarah had a milk tart (a store-bought replacement for our high-energy cake).  This made the minibus fun.

When we arrived at work, there was a lot of energy in the air.  We were having a great morning, probably still on a caffeine rush from the night before, and so excited to give out the toys to the children, as well as take the box of supplies to a local children's charity down the road during our lunch break.  It was going to be a special day for sure.  By 10:30, we were made aware of just how special.  I was in the middle of weighing a baby (they are nude for this process) when one of the sisters came running into the triage room and said that the strikers were at the clinic.  The clinic became chaotic.  The sisters were running around the clinic, shutting all of the curtains, locking the doors, and telling the patients, who were also running around and making much commotion, to sit down and be calm.  Outside of the clinic were about 25 men, large sticks in hand, shouting and telling everyone to get out.  One of them actually got in somehow and began ushering out the patients and screaming at the sisters.  We grabbed our bags and stayed close together as we all went out the side door, and Lindsey told the three of us interns to get in his car.  The men were blocking the driveway to get out, so we just waited.  The police came within a few minutes.  Dr. Mendel was mad.  She kept trying to reason with them, saying, "There are patients who need their ARV's today.  There's no other option for them.  What are they supposed to do?? We need to go back in there."  The police did nothing. 

The last thing I saw before I left the clinic was a frightened mother with an infant in her arms.  The infant's eye was swolen shut and pussing.  I suppose she was going to have to figure out a way to get the child in an emergency room instead.

It was somewhat of a surreal experience, "exciting" to say the least.  I was upset with these men.  Yes, they have a right to strike.  And the S. African gov't should be paying its employees more in many areas.   The vast majority of medical professionals get their degrees here and either go into private medicine or leave the country to go somewhere else, where they will receive a salary double or triple what they would working for the gov't here.   However, caring for a sick child is not the same type of work as picking up trash at the train station.  There's no getting around that! I suppose that because of this fact, the strike will make an impact if the clinics have to close.  The S. African government can't turn its back on the fact that its citizens need better care without looking bad.  In the long run, an increase in pay for medical professionals is definitely what the health system needs if it is to overcome the obstacles of overwhelmed clinics with a long wait.  Those that are working in these clinics are doing it out of their own desire to care for the poor and uneducated in this country, citizens that can't afford to take care of themselves and are too ignorant to begin to know how.  This is why they didn't go on strike. Will they benefit from a pay increase? Yes. Will it make it more desirable to continue working long hours if their salary shows it more? Yes.  But are they willing to close their clinics and neglect their patients, going against the core principles of their occupation, in order to get it? No.  This they must be forced to do. And to this I say, "Good for you, sisters.  Good for you."

Lindsey dropped us off at home, and we tried to decide what to do with the rest of our day off.  Whitney and I went to a cafe down the road where we get a couple hours of free internet access, and I began catching up on my blogging while she read.  About 45 minutes later, we were both fading quickly and went back for a nap.  After all, we had only slept for about 3 hours the night before.  I was woken up in the afternoon by a phone call from Justine.  She was calling about the Bible study at the girls' school in Rondebosch.  I had forgotten that it was Wednesday night! But I was really excited about going and meeting these young ladies.  Whitney and I made chicken, rice, and salad for dinner, and then Justine came to pick me up. 

The school has a boarding house attached to it for girls who live too far away to go home after school each day.  It was like something out of a movie! I loved it.  We went into the dining room, and at one of the long tables was a group of about 10 girls, all in their pajamas, waiting for us! I met Stacy, the other girl from Jubilee who leads the group with Justine.  Each girl introduced herself and then I was asked to do the same, along with sharing a bit of my testimony.  It was a really great time.  These girls were so mature for their age, and it was so obvious that they not only love living here, but they love each other, and they love Jesus.  It's their first week back of the term, so Justine presented a few different ideas to them of studies they can do this term.  They chose a book called, "Distinctives"--about how the worldview of a Christian differs from others and the way that should affect a life.  It seems wonderful, and the girls were excited about it.  We played a game for a little while, prayed together, and said our goodbyes.  Next week, they have a school-wide Vivaldi performance (this place is legit), so I won't be able to join them again for Bible study, but I was glad for the opportunity to meet them all once. 

When I got home, we watched "The Last King of Scotland" -- a movie about Idi Amin's reign in Uganda, based on true events.  It is brutal, but it makes an impact for sure.  It's fascinating watching these movies while I'm actually here on this continent.  Now that I've experienced the spirit of the people here, I believe that I can relate much easier to this type of film--it doesn't seem farfetched or "foreign"... rather, very believable.  And they pull on my heart in a way they never would have before. 

Lindsey called to tell Sarah and I not to come to work today.  All of the nursing sisters were meeting at the Plumstead station to be dispersed elsewhere.  Due to yesterday's uprising, IY would be shut down for at least another day.  I looked for other options for work today, but to my dismay, nothing worked out.  Instead, I slept in, which was very nice, read for a while, did some journaling, washed all of the dishes, pots, pans, and silverware in our kitchen (our cupboards were completely empty... welcome to living with 11 other people), and met Val and Liza on the train to go to the gym with them.  Thursday is free friend day, so I didn't have to pay anything.  It felt SO good to get some physical activity in... it's been too long.  So I was definitely thankful for that!! Now I'm back, sitting on my bed, contemplating what the night will hold. 

I'm so excited to go back to the JCC Health Centre tomorrow! I wish they would've been open today, but only Tues, Wed, Fri. Oh well, at least tomorrow's Friday! ( : Hopefully I'll have some good stories to share. There's a big concert for the youth tomorrow night at Jubilee, so that promises to be an exciting time as well!

It's starting to sink in that I only have one week left here... I'm kind of in denial.  Want to make the most of it, though!

Cheers!

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