The Modern Florence Nightingale

My friends from HNP ( Home Nursing Providers ) or rather who were serving there before caem to my house last sunday. I was really happy to see Yacob who had been away in Germany and he looked teutonic as before! But it's Mona, that venerable modern day Florence Nightingale who suggested to me about writing about this subject. I had been through quite a few Hospitals, public and private and could say with confidence that 9 out of 10 are unfriendly. The reason I say that, is simply attributable to the lack of friendliness of the people who are in the business of dealing with the sick and suffering, as well as their families. I have a father who is in his late 80's and had been in and out of hospitals many a times and I had the occasion to talk about this matter. Why did I find the people in the profession unfriendly? Perhaps I was expecting too much. Oh no! All I was looking for was that professionalism which is declared to be one of the Health Ministry's corporate culture. When I was interviewing those who had just completed their training in the nursing colleges, they have not heard of the so-called " Corporate Culture ". Little wonder they could not comprehend my question. No, I am not exaggerating, only very few could answer the question well. Have you ever seen those posters pasted on the walls of the General Hospitals? The answer would be in the negative, because I think they had thrown it into the garbage bin. Now let me recall. If I am not mistaken there are 3 slogans, first is Professionalism, second is Caring and I have forgotten the last, but it had to do with helping out one another. Now, if there's a score card, they would fail in all quarters! And do the Hon. Minister brifed on this, the first day he assumed office? Not for the light of day. The modern day nurses might not have heard of Florence Nightingale. No, she's not a bird, but a human being and she was associated with that symbol which nurses wear on their badges, the lamp. It was during the War in Italy that she won the colours of a caring lady who went from patient to patient, assuring them and comforting them. That's basically the duty of the lady with the lamp. The word is CARING, and how many in the profession really internalise this into their bones? Hardly any I think, except for people like Mona and those in her category. To top it all, for people like us, going to hospitals are like going to war. The Hospital is a battleground right from the start, where to park your jalopy! I rather use public transport, but that would mean I had to walk home after visiting hours, and that means I have to put on my rollerblades, which I have thrown away. Apart from being in a war zone, having to fight inconsidertae vehicle owners who blocked others, I had to contend with indifferent security guards. Now this is only the few examples of how traumatic one could become when you enter a public hospital, mind you, and you have not reached the registration counter as yet or worse, the hospital ward. Now we must go back to basics, as I was fond of saying when I was the Head of Dept where we must become human beings again and not simply being machines or robots. This dehumanizing process had taken the most out of our people and this spells disaster for the Country. We would join the club of Primitive Africa or the Mongol hordes of Jenghiz Khan and his marauders if this state of affairs is not put right. My apologies to those Nightingales who had done a great service to patients, but this is being addressed to the Hospital Director right down to the security guard who had no care whatsoever in the welfare of the patients and their families. The Minister of Health was right when he said he was enetring the Ministry of Hell.