I have been on both sides of the South African health care system since the lockdown was enacted – I volunteered and assisted for a couple of months at a Clinic in Orange Farm, and unfortunately had a family member spend a few weeks at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) due to a terminal cancer diagnosis. My experiences as such have been contrasting and have shown both the best and the worst that our health care system has to offer.
The best aspects have come from doctors and nurses showing unbelievable courage, determination, empathy, work ethic, and ingenuity in running a clinic safely and smoothly in the light of a pandemic. Doctors and nurses who see literally hundreds of patients every day, and yet manage to give empathetic and personalized care to people. Doctors and nurses who take the time (despite the unimaginable patient burden) to teach and encourage students in every little aspect of patient care, from examining chest x-rays to dispensing medication, to taking adequate histories and communicating effectively with patients across all spectrums. Watching team leaders develop new plans to safely manage patient-load and to design systems to triage an entire community has been beyond awe-inspiring and incredibly motivating.
However, the one thing I feel I can take away from both scenarios is to say without a shadow of a doubt the kind of doctor I don’t want to become, and I hope to one day run a ward in the way it absolutely should be.
My South African Medical School Journey 