Original post 19 Jan 2007

[Comments: Dejavu. May 2022]

To say that we are going through a rough patch would be an under statement. There was no smooth patch before…..and there is no sight of any of it in the near future either. It seems that in recent months all we did was manage one crisis after another.

One major illness on top of another has increased our patient population to an extent that is clearly well beyond the current capacity of public health care provision. As one of my colleagues suggested; we are indeed dealing with a “mass casualty”! And as with any mass casualty…..this current situation is taking its toll.

Post-Tsunami-Male’ is bursting at its sides. The congestion is virtually fueling the spread of one epidemic after another. Our public health care system is being tested way beyond its capabilities. It is evident that even at full capacity we would fall well short of the current health care needs.

These are testing times for all of us. The institution is struggling to manage its physical and service infrastructure in the crowded wards and waiting areas, the health care providers are being tested for their physical, mental and emotional endurance and the patients….well their patience, health and well being.

Where we are at now, we probably have never been before. And it is too painful to think of what would happen if things were to get worse than the current “things gone horribly wrong” situation.