The lack of human resources continues to pervade the health
sector across Zambia. In an effort to earn
a living, health care workers move away from family and their normal support
systems to serve in remote locations. Some
health centers even try requesting unmarried service providers because they believe
it lessens the likelihood of the person leaving. However, without any familiar support,
unmarried workers may face more obstacles in coping with living in unfamiliar
and difficult environments. A health worker,
stationed at a site roughly 6 hours away from the town, explained that living
and working alone in unfamiliar and isolated territory plays a huge role in
service providers not wanting to work inaccessible locations.
I don’t know where some of the health workers we interviewed for the Saving Mothers Giving Life assessment found their motivation to work. One of the most dedicated community health workers I’ve met reported for his duties at the health post every day for the past 7 years without pay. I sat beside him trying to fight back feelings of discouragement while verbally encouraging him to find some way to return to school. I’m not naive enough to believe that getting a better education is as easy as pulling kwacha from the money tree. I think I was just trying to reassure myself that his career advancement could actually happen.
I don’t know where some of the health workers we interviewed for the Saving Mothers Giving Life assessment found their motivation to work. One of the most dedicated community health workers I’ve met reported for his duties at the health post every day for the past 7 years without pay. I sat beside him trying to fight back feelings of discouragement while verbally encouraging him to find some way to return to school. I’m not naive enough to believe that getting a better education is as easy as pulling kwacha from the money tree. I think I was just trying to reassure myself that his career advancement could actually happen.
In an effort to stop sounding so gloomy, I saw some of the
most dedicated health care workers on my trip to Lundazi.
Often alone, underpaid, overworked and underappreciated...I
wonder what magic pill they take every morning to continue to service the health
needs of their communities without fail?
Whatever the deeper motivation is, they’ve got heart.
