Bridging Healthcare with Culture
The patient
When we arrived at FAME, I met a doctor and it was a relief to see that she was a woman. I would not have been comfortable discussing my problems with a man. Furthermore, she was a fellow Maasai, just like me! I was very excited! I could communicate in my native language and share everything happening to me in detail, as I don’t speak English and know only a little Swahili. The doctor listened to me, writing down everything I said. Sometimes, she would ask me questions, which I would gladly answer. She ordered some tests and they had to take my blood. But I was not scared, just very hopeful!
When she received the test results, she prescribed medication for me. That was three months ago. She asked me to return for a follow-up after three months and here I am today. The medicine has worked! I feel so much better. My strength has returned and I can now do more around the house, including playing with my children and chasing after the goats! I am very happy. FAME has been a blessing!”
“When the Maasai women and men come to see me, even if they know Swahili or English, they will always ask if it is okay to speak Maasai. And when I say yes, it makes them so happy as they are more comfortable explaining their symptoms in their language, making them open up more. I am very blessed to be in a position to help my people.”
*Permission was secured to share this patient's story. This interview has been translated from Maasai to English.
“I have been sick for nearly two long years. It has been a rollercoaster of doctor visits, herbalist remedies and countless clinics, but none worked. I was very sad as I was newly married and my illness left me feeling dizzy and weak most days, making it hard to care for my husband and children how I wanted to.
About three months ago, my sister-in-law shared a story with me. It was about a woman in our neighboring village who had been sick for many months and everyone, including her family, had given up hope. Someone told her about a hospital called FAME, saying they had good doctors who could see things others could not. She talked to my husband, who agreed to let her bring me to FAME.
Our village is quite far away, so it was a long journey to FAME. We took a boda boda [motorcycle taxi], two buses and a bajaji [autorickshaw] to reach here. I was very tired from the long trip and started to get annoyed at my sister-in-law because this was all her idea. I had resigned myself to a life of pain. My husband had married another wife, so I had a lot of help at home and felt supported. I did not need to come to FAME, I told myself, I was surviving just fine!
The patient (right) stands alongside her sister-in-law