A walk through the hospital ward

Whoever says working in the hospital is an easy task needs to re-educate themselves on the role the health workers play in our lives. We all in one way or the other have spoken ill about the health workers especially the nurses but I think there are still some few nurses out there who deserve a shout out. There are a lot of people who work in our health centers  (hospitals, clinics, CHPS compounds and so on),  some of the people work as doctors, nurses, midwives, health information officers, laboratory technicians, dentists, bursars, pharmacists, store keepers,  matrons, accountants, cleaners, security personnel and so on. The long and short of it all is that after spending a night at the hospital taking care of a sick sister, I have seen that the health workers are really hardworking and dedicated to the job they do. Once in a while, one or two of them may lose their temper and shout at a patient rudely or speak impolitely to a client but that is what makes them human.

I felt so touched and was impressed as I watched the young men and women going about their duties. They were doing quite a lot things, from helping the old woman

use the washroom to saving the life of the newly born by giving it oxygen. I know very well that some of them are married and leave their partners at home to respond to duty .  On many occasions, I have heard many unmarried people say they will never marry a nurse. Their job is really not an easy and a pleasant one. I know quite a number of health workers who do not eat meat. the reason is not far fetched. Guess what it is? Your guess is as good as mine.

Imagine that gentleman who hasn’t taken his bath for days who suddenly falls sick and is rushed to the hospital. Imagine that woman with the body odour who is menstruating and is involved in an accident and has to be attended by someone. That little baby with a delicate body who is suffering from this or that sickness must be handled by someone.  Someone has to clean up the vomit of the patient. Someone must be alert at the gateway to make sure patients don’t  run away from the hospital. Someone has to ensure that clients pay their fees and keep records of all payments

made to the hospital. Yet still,  someone have to give out drugs after the patients have seen the doctor. Someone has to keep records of all that goes on in the hospital.

Those who work in the hospital are human like us, tall or short, dark or fair, plump or small and so on. They are our  OWN brothers and sisters, parents, husbands and wives, children among others.  They are not perfect and can make mistakes. Let’s try as much as possible to accommodate their errors and mistakes. Health workers should also be meticulous, patient and avoid speaking rudely to patients. Your smile alone can heal someone. Much as we may be annoying, dirty, smelly, impolite and most importantly ignorant, please accept and cope with us. Nothing is more than saving a life.

For some people,  the doctor’s touch alone can heal them, others need that smile from

the nurse to be well and many others need some of these little things which do not cost a penny to be healthy again. I don’t know how it feels like to save life , but I believe that you feel so proud and happy to do so because when I do ordinary things like help someone carry their load, I feel more than excited, how much more saving a life! That feeling should really be awesome and great.

There should be regular in-service training and seminars for health workers in the country to constantly remind them of the important role they play in Ghana and keep them on their toes. This will help them and help us their clients as well.