Blood on the brain in the Battle of Ward 1C

23 DAYS IN AN EASTERN CAPE STATE HOSPITAL

Blood on the brain in the Battle of Ward 1C

Healthcare is not meant for the poor, ANGELA TUCK experiences all over again when her sister has to undergo brain surgery in an Eastern Cape state hospital.

My sister skrik vir niks

WHEN I was growing up, the state health system was the norm for our family of seven. Going to the doctor meant going to “Casualty” where you waited your turn with your broken arm or cut-off finger (true story). Sister Two has carried this habit deep into adulthood as an out-patient at state hospitals and clinics in her hometown of Gqeberha. For decades.

She doesn’t have a hospital folder. She has hospital files that look like fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Likewise, her body. Fragmented parts, broken parts, wounded parts that need clever people to gather round and offer solutions. For her, and the hundreds of thousands of Eastern Cape residents who need the same...

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