Medical emergencies in the Congo

The Congo. A cesspool of black happiness and misery. 

It is the only country that is so rich in resources and have so many poor civilians, and then of course so many rich politicians and Government Officials. It is a typical African country where the class differences are distinguish by Government employees and the population.

It is also one of many African countries where you know the outcome of the democratic election before it takes place.

Buildings on floor level is the main clinic

So, there I am. Working on a Telecoms Project which I not always like so much in Africa especially, in the Congo which is one of the least favorite countries to ever find yourself in, for a Contracting Company that have next to nothing experience in Africa to complete a job for a client that expects all to fall from the sky within 10 minutes.

A great job. I like challenges but some days just baffle the living piss out of me why I do this to myself. On the other hand, a job is a job - been also on the other end.

Being the typical Jew that I am not I set out to look into alternative streams of income while in country. This will keep the stress levels at bay and then also will help quite lot in the near future when the project done and there are some revenue still to be made. Works for me, so why the hell not?

April was quite a busy month for me. On top of the "quick project to complete" that fell upon me, I was added another 4 projects in March. Bonkers, busy, crazy - few words that comes to mind when thinking of those times.

You barely sleep, work 7 days and the income stay the same, the responsibilities increase tremendously and the stress levels, well, they off the scope most of the days. I remember also walking with papers in my back pocket, got the names of milestones in each for when you get caught up in the hallway and all of a sudden someone shit on you for something that you not even know yet happened, you at least had something to keep your bearings together.

It was a crazy period.

Typical operations theater in Congo - windows are not blackened out never mind the rest

On Monday the 19th of April, the day was "normal". Lot of shouting, meetings, pissed off client and Company on both ends - normal.
That evening I ran into some quick meetings still over a bite and a beer. Remember I refused the beer and had bottled water, already feeling little 'edgy'.

As the meeting came to an end around 19h00 and all left I all of a sudden not felt too good. I knew that feeling all too well, had 6 heart attacks before so quite trained by now.

I was rushed off immediately to the best local (remember, this is Africa, not a civilized place to have heart attacks and expect some proper treatment) clinic. Checked in, took blood tests and then on the drips and medicines immediately.

No decent equipment available like a monitor or anything - a stethoscope that was it for the ICU Emergency room.

One morning, about day 3 in the African clinic, I woke to the view of six cardiologists as they referred to themselves. Now, one I remembered and according to my recollections, she was a nurse the first night, another was the emergency doctor on duty, one smelled of dentistry chemicals and the other three I honestly was not convinced at all.
The all claimed to be cardiologist specialists and that was how it is going to be. At this point I saw how the bill for this stay was just increasing by the minute.

Another thing, they all spoke heavy local French.
Local French sounds like European French, the difference is neither actually understand another but it is referred to as French but the other similarity at least, they are equally arrogant.

So, they were trying to explain to me they determined it must be my heart, but due to a lack of machinery and equipment, the ones you will find in any other hospital off the continent of Africa, they do not posses.
Their solution, they unanimously decided upon, was to treat me for everything possible and then go back on the symptoms via the elimination process of what might be needed and what the actual diagnostic might be.
A mate of mine later on described my skin color as that of grey. I was on a "pill / tablet and drip diet" 24 hours a day for about a week and a half.
You do not go to the waterless toilet bowl regularly and they put laxative into the mixture. (I refused to drink it of course).
I have never in my life been tortured by needles and syringes as much as in that Clinic! Better more, I do not think my liver had to endure such torture ever in my life - maybe before birth but that is another story!

Between all of this, I was informed that I have contracted Malaria before the heart thing and that (malaria) was a big contributor to my already screwed up heart condition.

Being drugged and then drugged some more I really got to the point where it became seriously uncomfortable. I knew the malaria was best place to get treatment, places in the Great United States of America, Britton or South Africa even will have you dead in 5 days.
Africa is simply is and will always be the best place to have your Malaria treated, this is how common it is there. 

Anything else, well, opposite of this last statement!

Price list for Locals of course - $1=900CFR more or less

So they got me at long last "stabilized" and after the "foreigner / white man / VIP treatment / specialists fees / oxygen / medicine" bill that was priced through the silly part of the roof, I was released and then could figure out where to next.

The client of course insisted I need to go to South Africa, for just another checkup, meaning for me in my little brain I should rather go to Moscow in Russia now because there treatment will be faster, better and performed by old Communist trained specialists - real cardiologists that fix hearts by day and then sink a bottle of original Vodka at night.

Much more safer than any place in Africa for that matter - and I was willing to bet my life on that one.

So, yes. I lost the round where I could choose where to be evacuated. The Company and the client made some vigorous commitments but deep inside I knew, in this industry, it is smoke and mirrors and once the determination of the specialists will come through, I am fucked.

This was exactly what happened and no! Before all the wankers in the world start talking "law of attraction" shit - I assure you, experience could have answered that one for you even years before all of this. I have been through this one.

Our world consist of employers that, when you get a cold, no worries. When you have to go for a small neck operation and will be off work for a week or three, they can live with it. When you have heart problems, you get removed from whatever you were doing, called of course and asked to "just come to office and assist with this and that" - expected to do so on your cost, for free of course as you are not employed anymore, and yes. Guess that is life in the modern ways these days. Happened exactly like this several times with me and everytime hoped that 'this time will be differrent - these are good people'.

Yeah right!