The clinic

 I’ve been sick the last few days. I have not been feeling well and had to skip work for several days.

I was feeling so bad that I had to go to the clinic. Other expats advised me not to go to a hospital because I would need to wait too long. The clinics have less people because they are more expensive.

I went to one of the best clinics, recommended both by locals and expats.  First I had to wait for one hour just for registration. The consultation was US$5 dollars. After that I was supposed to see the doctor but a nurse told me I would need to wait for 4 or 5 hours and if I wanted I could come back in the afternoon, when the clinic was less crowded because you were supposed to pay an emergency fee. The emergency fee was US$7 dollars.

I came back in the afternoon where there were no other patients indeed, mostly because they don’t want to pay the extra fee but also because most of them go in the morning to be able to go to work after the consultation.

The doctor said I had an infection but she could not determine the exact type because they don’t do that kind of test so I should be treated with a medication that could help “most” of the types. The doctor prescribed antibiotics but she also told me that I needed to be careful because many antibiotics in Liberia are expired or altered.

Luckily I brought those antibiotics with me from the US and did not have to worry about “fake” medicine. But I started to think about people who do.

Would you imagine the frustration of waiting for 4 or 5 hours at the clinic feeling ill and afterwards buying a medicine that is not going to work because is adulterated? or even worse having the doctor telling you that he is going to guess what kind of infection you have, because they don’t have the equipment to do further tests?  That morning I saw kids and seniors, burning in fever or clearly in a lot of pain waiting long hours to see the doctor and I did not even want to start imagining how long they would have to wait in a public hospital.

That day I felt as hopeless as many Liberians may feel when their country is not able to provide them with the basic services they need to have a good quality of life. That day I understood how lucky I am for being born in a country with more opportunities, and how unfair it is that a random fact, such as where you are born, determines your access to opportunities for the rest of your life.