The more amusing sides of culture in Juba Teaching Hospital

"When in Rome do as the Romans do...” The same applies to Juba. Culturally this place is very different from the UK and every day we learn some new quirks. I have already spoken about the vigorous hand shaking that goes on here but there are some other things that are even more novel.

Wedesday in Juba Teaching Hospital

Wednesday is cleaning day in JTH and on Wednesday all wards are cleaned from ceiling to floor- no stone is left unturned. All patients are taken outside and wait in the shade with their drips, drip stands and other medical paraphernalia:

Patients in beds outside the male acute admissions ward, whilst cleaning is underway

A hosepipe is then brought into the ward and the whole area is meticulously cleansed, kind of like watering a garden in the UK. The patients beds and mattresses are then vigorously scrubbed and dried and the patients are then laid back on the beds and wheeled back inside. The whole process starts at 9 am and normally finishes at lunch time.

The hollowed out shell of the male acute admissions ward.

The water on the floor in the foreground is from the hosepipe.

Punctuality at Juba Teaching Hospital

In the UK when we are told that teaching starts at 9 am, if you are even 5 minutes late, there is a sharp intake of breath on your arrival. In Juba if you organise teaching at 12.30 pm, then at 12.30 pm the room will look like this:

A very empty conference room at 12.30 pm, the start of our teaching session.

I promise our teaching isn't really this bad.

When I spoke to one of the Obs and Gynae Consultants, he said “If you start teaching at 12.30 pm then people will start arriving at 1.15 pm and by 2 pm you should have enough to begin teaching. There is ‘UK time’ and then there is ‘Africa time’. But ‘Sudan time’ is in a different league.

When the rains come in Juba Teaching Hospital

During the wet season, when it rains, it hammers it down. Everything stops during the rain- it’s kind of like England when there is a light dusting of snow. All the wards run with a skeleton team because there are many absences and even the usual 500 patients a day remain at home- outpatients was like a ghost town this morning. We were teaching today and the event had to be postponed.

This is normal in the Southern Sudan and I am not quite sure why. There is an interesting mentality here which I really do warm to. On the one hand, there are these interesting little eccentricities. On the other hand, the Southern Sudanese are likeable, hard-working people who are polite and complimentary at all times. When you meet the Southern Sudanese, they make you glow on the inside, kind of like a warm brandy on a cool Winter's day. Sumptuous people. I love them.

Ta for now,

David