From the field – Summer 2018: A Little Consideration for Others
As the weeks pass by in Stonetown- a place I can that has gradually become a second home for me- The more I’ve come to realize how inconsiderate and judgmental we are as people. We go about our daily lives constantly concerned about our time, our goals, what we have to get done in a day . If anyone or anything inconveniences us, we’re irritated and quick to blame others for our problem.
It’s a quality I’ve observed among the several community members, health care professionals, and doctors I have had the privilege of talking to over the past month. During my first week in Zanzibar, I went to the National Blood Transfusion Center to interview the director of the center, and she mentioned that no matter how much blood donations she receives and is able to send to Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, it’s almost never enough to meet the hospital’s ever increasing demand. At the end of our conversation, she even suggested that she believed that the hospital was demanding too much blood and consistently driving the center to try and find more blood supply. Meanwhile, at the hospital’s blood bank, the technicians at the blood bank mentioned the opposite- that the blood bank never supplies enough, and that its to a point where the blood bank has to deny doctors blood if the case isn’t an emergency. Amongst the departments, there was a sense of mistrust and miscommunication, and there seemed to be that sense that it was not their department’s fault but in fact the other’s. Workers often mentioned the issues they undergo and didn’t really consider the problems the other departments that they collaborate with faced. Community members were often no different, claiming that the hospital has staff that leaves the hospital early on a regular basis and don’t care for their patients, but they rarely considered that the staff they are referring too is often overworked and overwhelmed at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, and the reason they leave early is to so that they can work their next shift at another clinic or hospital.
In all these instances, I’ve not only gained insight on the dynamic that the health care system has amongst itself and with the community it serves, but it has allowed me to reflect on myself and my attitude towards the events that happen to me on a daily basis. Back home in New York, I get annoyed by how the person who’s taking his/her time at the reception desk is holding up the line, or how the subway is late and always jam-packed come rush hour, and I never consider the reason why someone is taking their time at the desk or is late. I’m quick to judge without considering another person’s circumstances, and it’s that basic sense of consideration for other people’s situations that I aim to become more conscious about in my everyday life from now on. And while being considerate and non judgemental of others is an act that seems so simple, it’s often an act that is lacking in society.
However, while I’ve coming to learn how not to judge what I see in Zanzibar and to be more patient regarding circumstances I cannot control, it doesn’t mean that I should accept the many injustices I see either- and that applies to the workers of Mnazi Mmoja as well. The amount of blood transfusions that are needed at the hospital due to anemia,previous scars, or other reasons is alarmingly high, and no one at the hospital should be accustomed to that situation because they feel like it can’t be helped. However, before the hospital can take steps to improve their circumstances, they should first have the consideration and patience to understand the issues that others have.