“We just passed by your place,” Sheri recounted on the phone, “and there’s a man lying by the road. I don’t think that he’s dead, but maybe you could go take a look”. 8:30 am and there’s already a casualty. “Sure,” I replied, “no problem”.
Well, this definitely isn’t my domain. Dirty nappies, formula, and the occasional sewage challenge, those are the areas to which I am assigned. I will just let the clinic get this one. Walking over, I note that Sal isn’t around because he’s out in the bush, doing a rural clinic. No big deal, that’s what the back-up clinical officer is for. Jeffery will certainly go check out the unconscious man.
Unfortunately, Jeffery is in the middle of another emergency. Hmmm, okay, plan B. I will send one of the drivers. I start asking around. Turns out that Herrod has gone on the market run and Mwanza is conveniently out of the cell service area. For a moment, I ponder just waiting to see if another person licensed to operate a motor vehicle shows up. But the minutes are passing and my pesky conscious keeps reminding me that there is a man lying by the road.
Fine, I’ll do it. I grab a large, male clinic staffer and head out to the tarmac. Sure enough, there is a man lying in a ditch beside it. His bike and possessions flung out next to him. We venture a bit closer and determine that, sure enough, he is still breathing. He doesn’t appear injured, so we guess intoxication. In any case, he is in rough shape. Load ‘em up.
As the man moans in the back seat, I think about how messed up this whole thing is. I mean, this man was literally splayed out by the side of the road and no one was attending to him. Cars, including our friend Sheri, drove by and kept going. What’s more, there was no one to call for help. The police don’t offer pick-up services and ambulances don’t exist here. I guess that we are who people call for help.
Pulling up beside the clinic, I jump out of the car and gladly relinquish all medical duties. Turns out that our mystery man is indeed intoxicated. However, it’s a bit more serious than that. He has apparently spent the previous night lying beside the road and his body temperature is now freakishly low, like 94. Warm towels from the dryer are prescribed. He’ll likely have a massive hangover, but he’ll pull through.
Ambulance driver. Is there anything left for me to do here?
That shake shake will get you everytime…
Reminds me….
“the priest passed and the levite left but the hated samaratan came and soothed and moved and bandaged the abandon one…”