The perils of a Sudanese doctor

Haj Al Safi Teaching Hospital in Bahri, Khartoum. (Photo by Rugia Omer for 500 Words Magazine)

I am a doctor in Sudan. This statement automatically means that I am working 2 to 3 jobs, I make less than $200 a month, and I am extremely exhausted and demotivated.

You see when I graduated two years ago my plan was to change the world, and more specifically, Sudan. The main reason for me being here was thinking that I could fix the country that I love. Work hard and change lives.

I talked the talk. Then reality struck, it struck hard and late – a few weeks ago. I came to the realisation that the health system as well as the Sudanese mentality won’t change just like that. The issues here are deep-rooted. But then again, how can this mentality be improved when the average doctor can barely get by? When she or he is barely living? Eventually, their main goal will (and already does) revolve around fixing their own lives rather than that of others, at which point medicine will become about money rather than helping people. It loses the humane side. Doctors take jobs based on the pay rather than on what they can excel in. They don’t challenge themselves and seek further knowledge, justifying the infamous claim: “That doctor doesn’t know anything.” In fact, this can be applied to anybody in the medical field. Everyone is miserably trying to get by on their “minimum” wage and multiple jobs. As a result, doctors do not give their best; the hospitals are dirty, the nurses don’t do their jobs properly and the supply of medication is always limited, if available in the first place.

So as a consequence of doctors being money oriented, an essential part of medicine is lost: community medicine. Through illness prevention and education, community medicine is believed to be the key to the future. Why wait for a disease to affect someone then treat it when you can think one step ahead and prevent it from affecting a large group? This simple theory was how polio was eradicated in Sudan. As a result of the money craze, there aren’t many doctors dedicated to raising awareness and educating the masses. This directly affects the whole population, not just in terms of illness but also health taboos, such as female circumcision, will not be corrected and girls will continue to be wedded off at a young age. Preventive medicine eventually becomes unheard of.

The only way all of this can change is through strong community work such as out-reach programs, awareness groups and health education classes. This must be started not only in rural areas but also in Khartoum, spearheaded by specialists in public and international health. This country needs fresh, open minds. We need re-education at a national level. Doctors must learn to feel the responsibility that comes with their title, and the country needs to give them the support they deserve.