So Close

Helping mothers birth with dignity

I have spoken before about the difference between 'haves' and the 'have nots' here in South Africa.  As in many countries, and particularly as in the developing nations, there is a stark difference in the lifestyles of the haves and the have nots.  Nowhere is this difference more apparent than in our health care system.  

I am going to be generalizing for the sake of illustration here, I know that between the haves and the have nots there exists a whole group of people who have a little, a medium amount, an 'almost lot' etc.  But for the purpose of this post, I am going to keep things simple.

Here in South Africa, we have two health care 'systems' - we have the public health care system that provides care for everyone (basic services for free) and the private health care system that provides health care for whose who can afford it.  While the doctors and specialists in both cases are excellent (among the best in the world), the difference in facilities and 'service' is enormous. If you have private health insurance (what we call 'medical aid' in South Africa which costs more per month than most people earn as a monthly salary) and you have a baby, your stay in a private hospital is like a stay in a five star hotel.  If you don't have medical insurance, your experience is far, FAR less glamorous.  

I don't want to put down the amazing work that the staff in these public health facilities do, so I am loath to describe how bad it sometimes can be, but the truth is that these doctors and nurses work under tremendous pressure, understaffed and under-resourced. The facilities are not like a hotel, AT ALL.  And I am really putting it very mildly indeed. I think some of the stories would put your hair on end. 

The lady who used to clean my house two days a week is pregnant.  Last week she went to the local public hospital because she was having pains.  She was 32 weeks pregnant and was contracting.  After waiting in queues the WHOLE day, they eventually examined her. 32 weeks, one cm dialated. They gave her a few paracetamol tablets and sent her home. She had to WALK home from the hospital.  In her condition. If that was a private hospital with a patient with private health insurance, she would have been admitted for observation and given some drugs. 

Last week I had to go to a public hospital for a meeting and as I walked past the rows of pregnant ladies waiting and waiting in the corridors, I realized how incredibly lucky I am to live in the world of the haves when it comes to having a baby.  The world where YOU choose your doctor, YOU choose your appointment times and where you get first class everything.

One person who lives in the world of the haves, but who tirelessly and selflessly works to help the have nots is my sister Melanie.  Melanie runs a charity that assists the mothers in the public hospitals have as dignified and special experience of birthing their baby as is possible. Before Melanie started the charity, some of these new mothers would have nothing other than newspaper to take their babies home in.

The charity, Bosom Buddies is holding a fund raising ball and she is looking for 'fairy godmothers' to sponsor a ticket to the ball for her volunteers and special helpers.  Please pop over to Melanie's blog to read about her amazing work and how you could be a 'fairy godmother' and help out.  Please click here for more info http://bosombuddies.typepad.com/ 

Thank you. 

SWC2010 - Very proudly South African

There was a time when I was ashamed to be a South African.  When I travelled overseas, I pretended to be from another country. I was ashamed to be associated with a country that had so much to be ashamed about. I loved the land, I hated the legacy.  

In 1990, I started gaining pride in this country when Nelson Mandela was freed.

In 1992, I was proud to vote YES to end apartheid in the referendum

In 1994, I stood for hours in a queue to vote in the first free and fair democratic elections in South Africa. I was finally proud to be South African

In 1995, South Africa hosted (and then won!!) the Rugby World Cup. At the time, I was on business in Botswana.  I was heart broken not to be in my country to be part of the amazing vibe afterwards.

It isn't easy living in South Africa.  There is poverty, there is crime.  Lots of crime. And lots of poverty. And yes, there is corruption and xenophobia and AIDS and and and.... but there is also hope and joy and freedom and equal rights and beauty (lots and lots of beauty) and space and then there is the Soccer World Cup 2010.

Never before have I been prouder to be a South African. South Africa is in the most amazing place right now, I dont think ever before in our history has their been more enthusiasm and passion and unity. The vibe is AMAZING!!  We did it!  It is not over yet (only three more games to go *sob*) but so far we have hosted a very, VERY successful soccer world cup. I AM SO PROUD!!

There were so many who doubted us. There were so many who were too scared to come.  But we did it and we did it well!

This was huge for us.  I was SO nervous leading up to the first few matches.  Every bit of negative press (the vuvuzelas were too loud! there were too few toilets on the fan walk! OMG, the weather! It was too cold and rainy!) was like a knife through me.  I took it so personally, I so badly wanted us to do well. I wanted the world to know that although we are African (and therefore somehow not quite as civilized), although we are not rich and powerful like many other Western countries; we are capable, we are competent and we can deliver.  I wanted the world to like us.  However, as the World Cup draws to an end, I realize that more important than the world liking us is that through this World Cup we have realized that WE like us.  We like each other and we love our country, and for most of us, we are so very, very proud to be South African.

I don't know what us South Africans are going to do when the world cup draws to an end. No more soccer??? For the last few weeks we have lived, eaten, drank, consumed soccer.  It has been a magical ride. What an honour and a privilege to have experienced hosting a world cup.  I am so proud of our country.  Well done all!

 

(Oh, forgot to add: Hup Holland Hup!!)

There has been lots and lots of press about it, but the two links below caught my attention,

Blank Spaces Fill World Cup’s Crime Scorecard

A cataclysmic wave of violent crime in South Africa, the fear of so many World Cup killjoys, has simply not occurred. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/world/africa/07safrica.htm

Boston Big Picture

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/preparing_for_the_world_cup.html

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/halfway_in_-_2010_world_cup.html

World Cup Fever in South Africa

I am not a big soccer fan. I am also not a big fan of crowds, noise and mass gatherings. However, there can't be a single warm-blooded South African left in SA that doesn't feel at least a bit excited about hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup.  The country has come alive and I don't think we have ever seen such excitement, enthusiasm and community of spirit before in our history.  I am always proud to be a South African, but right now I am both proud and excited.

Yesterday at 12pm thongs of people came out of their offices, their homes and their cars and tooted their horns and blew on their vuvuzelas in celebration of this magnificent occasion.  One of my friends-in-the-computer Jeanette captured some images from the moment.  Outstanding. For more pics from the day, have a look at her amazing website 

 

 

 

Please do not use these images without her permission.

Oh wait!  There's more, check out these amazing images here http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/preparing_for_the_world_cup.html

An incident occurred in 1998

I got a note in my postbox today that is just.... words fail me. If you live in South Africa you must be saying WTF!! This must surely be a typo?   An 'incident' occurred in 1998??????  WTF!  An incident like this occurs every 19.98 SECONDS in South Africa!  Our security estate had an 'incident' in 1998! Those who don't live in South Africa won't appreciate how funny (in a sad way) this note is. 

Look, it's a terrible incident. A terrible story. But when you live in a country with one of the highest crime levels in the world and where things like this occur on a daily basis in certain areas of the country, this is just unreal.  It made me realize how very lucky I am that I am able to live in a security estate (busybody neighbours and all) that last had an 'incident' in 1998.

I have typed this post up so many times in so many different ways, but I can't quite capture what this note says about (my) life in South Africa. About living with crime. How lucky I am. How many others struggle.  It blows my mind.  Fellow South Africans, help me out here.  Help me explain why this note is just so unbelievable.

16 Days of Activism Campaign

I've been asked to blog about the 16 Days of Activism Campaign by The Foschini Group CSI (TFG CSI) aimed at STOPPING ABUSE NOW. 

By supporting this campaign, TFG CSI aims to call to action all South Africans to help stop abuse against women, children and men.  South Africa has unacceptably high levels of abuse towards women, with one of the highest levels of sexual violence against women in the world.

On each day of the 16 Days Of Activism, a non-profit organisation (NPO) that supports victims of abuse will be receiving a R20,000 donation from the Foschini Group CSI.

How can YOU make a difference?

1. Listen to Otherwise with Nancy Richards on SAfm (104-107) each weekday at 13:05 for interviews with each of these organisations.

2. Get your copy of City Press newspaper each Sunday from 22 November to 13 December or visit www.citypress.co.za to read more about NPO’s that are taking real action against abuse.

3. Visit MXit’s Bandit portal for videos (from Anything Goes), the campaign ringtone (from Flat Stanley) and to find out more information in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Abuse Campaign.

Masende update

Remember Masende?  Harrison’s son who you so kindly helped out with his university admission fees?  Well, he passed his first year of his engineering degree!  His parents are SO proud of him.  Both of them are very low earning unskilled workers who grew up during apartheid where there was very limited access to decent basic education for black people, and obtaining a university education was just about impossible for many, so this is a very big achievement for them, as it would be for any parent actually.  Thank you to all of you who made this possible xxxxx

South African Satire

If you are looking for a good laugh, go read Hayibo today, the articles on the home page are absolutely brilliant!  Might not be as funny if you aren't South African, but damn, I laughed my ass off.

Too posh to push

Someone asked me why I was so sure I was having a C section – my answer is because I have had two C sections before and in my last pregnancy, my uterus starting rupturing during labour at the C section scar. So I am pretty sure I will have a C section, and I am totally ok with that, no regrets what so ever (that shit just does not bother me), but I thought I would share something that will alarm some of you ‘push out the vagina’ types – C section rates for the wealthy in South Africa. 

Please note, I have nothing against people who choose to do C sections - even if I didn't have to have my first two, I might have chosen to do them anyway. Natural child birth terrifies me.

In South Africa there are two health systems. One is for the masses – it is free, sponsored by government, and while the doctors are excellent, the facilities are appalling. Run down, grotty, horrible. Long queues, no appointment system. You take what you can get.

The other is the private system – the ‘medical aid’ system. If you are wealthy in South Africa, you have medical aid. Like your medical insurance, but different. Here in South Africa, if you have medical aid, you can get to see the best doctors. No waiting, you call the shots. You want an appointment? You can have an appointment whenever it suits you. I can have weekly scans, because I want to and because I can – I am on medical aid. I can choose my doctor, I can choose my care. Our hospitals are like hotels, really luxurious and top class. My monthly medical aid payment is more than most South African earn as their full salary. It isn’t fair, and it isn’t just, but that is how it is here. The government is talking about making the health care system more equitable, but there is such huge disparity between the haves and the have nots, that there is a long way to go. Public health care is one of the biggest issues on Government’s agenda, and there is still so much to do.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you these statistics about how high the C section rate is for the private medical aid patients. Taken from this website here which is a natural birthing lobby group thingy, so take this with a bit of a pinch of salt, but they are probably not too far off the truth

South African rates for c-section as provided by various organisations:

Free health care service:

Government Department of Health in the Western Cape: 19.6% (Reason why it is so ‘high’ is because of the problem with HIV positive mothers passing on the virus to their babies during natural birth)

Private medical services:

Board of Health Care Funders in South Africa: 65%
Largest Medical Aid Scheme in South Africa: 70%
Council of Medical Aid Scheme’s in South Africa: 82%

There is currently no protocol in South Africa which governs the use of C/S surgery. This means that women must base their decisions on how their baby is born purely on what their doctor advises (or what they request themselves!).

Why is the C/S rate in SA rising?

• Defensive medicine
• Medical aids pay out for C/S       without requiring a medical necessity
• Art of normal delivery is       being lost
• Casual attitudes about       surgery
• Fear of natural birth: “Baby       is too big”
• Growing belief that C/S is       "safe"
• Side effects of other common       procedures
• Failure to support normal       physiologic labor 
• C/S chosen before less       interventive methods
• Women are having c-sections       for HIV+ status; National HIV rates = 30% KZN = 39.1% WC = 15.5%.
• Convenience
• Increased use of epidural       anaesthesia
• No VBAC policy

I’ll be there just now, now now.

I am not sure if you do this over there, but here in South Africa we have a few unique expressions we use to indicate timing – ‘now now’ and ‘just now’. Now now and just now can mean anything from 5 minutes to 5 hours. Confusing, yet as South Africans, we know exactly how long each means.

 

“So, I’ll see you there just now?” “Ja, cool”

“I’ve got a client coming in now now, please arrange parking!”

 

Now now is usually sooner than just now, but not always.

 

Unfortunately, Adam has yet to learn what ‘now now’, ‘just now’ or even what ‘today’ means. Our daily conversation goes something like this:

 

Adam: When is daddy coming home? 

Me: Tonight 

Adam: This night? 

Me: Yes, this night. 

Adam: Now now? 

Me: Not now now, but just now. Today. 

Adam: This day?

 

We can go on like this for hours. I cringe the days where he asks the question the minute he opens his eyes. We go through several versions of ‘this day’, ‘now now’, ‘this five minutes’ and ‘today’ until he is satisfied that his father is actually coming in the acceptable time frame, which is any combination of the above. Nownowthisdayfiveminutessixoclock. That time.

 

Want to share any unique language / dialect thing you guys do?  Now now please, not just now.

Hayibo - South African satire at its finest

I am sure most of you know the American satire site, The Onion? Well, I recently discovered the South African version of The Onion, Hayibo. It is absolutely brilliant, I actually chuckle out loud when I read it. For non-South Africans, it is a great insight into the humorous side of the psyche of South Africa, and for South Africans dit is forking snaaks.  Even just writing this post, I am grinning like mad. So, so funny. I do love this country of mine.

 

Do yourself a favour and check Hayibo out, good stuff. Particularly relevant at time like this when a cartoon has ignited the nation.