It's SteeTime!

Sometimes I come across a blog which touches me deeply. I went to school briefly with Dr Bashir Ahmed in Uganda. He is a Somali national and now a powerful activist for better health systems his war-torn country. His blog  SomaliHealthWatch has many true and personal stories; stories of survival, sufferings and heroism. True heroes who have been forced to endure hunger, killings, rape and insecurity on a daily basis for more than 20 years. One in particular was about his account of getting through medical school despite all the hardships and about his triumph against all odds to realize his dream of becoming a doctor. A Trip To Ishaka Our plane touched Ugandan soil at 6.00pm local time. Immigration formalities were uneventful. Officers behind a high desk asked why we were entering Uganda. We showed them our admission letters. That was satisfactory. They stamped our passports with student visas and wished us good luck in our studies. The taxi driver guessed right w...

Weekend Call: a duty created to push every doctor to the limit. In my hospital the doctor on weekend call is supposed to cover every department and is the first on call for every emergency, review, referral and basically anything the nurses may 'feel you need to do'. Even if a patient 'looks' depressed (never mind that you are already depressed from the last 6 emergency Caesarian Sections) Nonetheless I'm on it this weekend so you will forgive me for lack of smiley faces. I guess I am just hoping that by posting a blog the universe may deem me too busy to be called to the ward again (even though I have absolutely nothing to say). They don't teach many things in Medical School. Like on the first day they should have a sign at the door written 'DON'T DO IT'. It would save the world from a whole lot of disgruntled doctors. Don't get me wrong, I love the major parts of my job...but the not-sleeping, forever-smiling and superwoman criteria may b...

One of my most memorable Valentine’s was Simba Nyashanu.  I was in Grade 7 and he left an expensive heart shaped gift package in my desk during break-time.  I was the talk of that day and even got invited to sit with the cool girls at lunch.   It has generally been downhill from there.  Even with the occasionally disappointing Valentine Day's I've had over the years I'm still slightly obsessed with the concept! Keep your expectations realistic Jokes aside, there are some serious downfalls to this frenzy of February Fourteen. Dr Bill Cloke of PsychologyToday believes that although Valentine's Day is an opportunity to show appreciation to your loved one it can also ruin your relationship. "The commercialization of Valentine’s Day has given rise to great expectations and just as often great disappointments if the gift giving is not enough to meet our romantic fantasy." In other words, people often prioritize the gifts more than the giver ...