The Highland Run - part 1

The Highland Run - part 1

I just sat there, wondering how it would feel. To finally seat on this chair, I had previously made four other false attempts. The first one was to the Coptic hospital, where they had no idea what I was talking about. The second was to Aga Khan satellite hospital at Prestige Ngong road, there they said that they did not offer that service. The third attempt was at the main facility of the same hospital, where they said that they did not work over the weekend. The fourth was at the very same hospital, where I had to skip my appointment after realizing that I did not have adequate cash for this process. And finally, here I was, on attempt number five.

When I came in, they had given me a form which they inscribed no. 12 on it, then asked me to sit and wait at no. 6. This back side of the hospital building looked miserable. Sickly looking people sat in queues next to various doors. Few children were running around, making noise oblivious of the otherwise quiet, almost eerie atmosphere. Occasionally, a uniformed personnel, obviously hospital staff, would pass by with some files, drop them in one of the rooms, then walk out. Thereafter, they would call some name from behind the many consulting rooms.

"Do they allow MPESA payment?," a question startled my thoughts.
I looked besides me to see a lady busy on her phone's keypad while gazing at me for advise.
"Good afternoon to you too," I answered.
Realizing I had answered the wrong one, "Sorry, am not sure. But I read somewhere at the reception that they only accept cash."
"Auch, I really fear needles," she told me.
I gazed at Room no. 6, with the conspicuous sign "Vaccinations", then responded, "You are not alone"
We continued small talk before I finally heard, "Number 12!"
Why do hospital call human beings using numbers? Isn't that against some article on the new constitution? "The bill of rights", to be specific?

I moved into the room and sat facing the nurse across the table. She looked at the form that I had handed to her when I sat and then asked, "What can I do for you"
I thought of how ambiguous the question was and was about to give an interesting answer, but I responded with the right one, "Am here for a Yellow fever vaccination, which has been forced on by my forthcoming travel"
"So you have not come here on your own volition?"
"Definitely. I should have been doing my lunch hour run back at Uthiru"
"You do not believe that vaccination is necessary?"
"Sure not. Am well and I would not like foreign germs being introduced in my system."
She laughed for a moment, scribbled something on the form, then asked me to take the form back to the Cashier at reception, then come back.
"Meanwhile, I shall start working on your card."

After paying KShs.2,620 and getting a receipt, I went back to the Vaccination centre. The lady I had earlier spoken to had left. I sat waiting for my turn to see the doc, even as I heard some children crying inside the room. As I waited, a nurse shouted somewhere, "Hi, congratulations, I can see that you have a baby!"
"Yes, thank you."
"How was it?"
How should someone answer such? Before the answer, I was called into Room 6.

"Sit on the bed, it is time"
That was fast, I thought.
I was not even ready for this.
"This is how it shall go. I will introduce this vaccine," she said while showing me some vial, which I did not want to look at, though I saw some words such as Stamaril G on the pack.
"This shall be through an injection on the hand near the left shoulder," she continued, even as she now started breaking the package to expose the needle - which I surely did not look at.
"Okay, here goes. Let me just trace the right place and have this done"
I was still looking sideways waiting for a sharp pinch on the arm, when she told me, "It is done, you can now sit at the desk and await your card."
I had to go through all that painlessness to get a yellow card for Yellow fever? Matters were made easier when I realized that it was a yellow booklet of eight or so pages, one of which now had the Yellow fever vaccination date, batch number, medical practitioner name and hospital name inscribed.

In part 2, the story continues on