Dying in a skanya
March 22nd, 2005
Yesterday I read an article in the newspaper about a woman who transported her very ill husband to a hospital in a skanya (a small hand pushed cart, usually about 1.5 metres long by 1 metre wide). When she got to the hospital, she was turned away, or as the nurse put it ‘referred to another hospital’. The next hospital was miles away. She had no money for transport. She had no assistance from the hospital because they had no doctor, or medical supplies. Her husband lies bleeding from the nose and mouth beside her.
In a first world country, this would cause an outcry. Here at home, it has become the norm. People don’t bother to complain, because they know nothing will be done. Today I read that one Zimbabwean child dies from AIDS every 15 minutes. I wonder much lower we have to go before the rest of the world takes notice?
