Félicitations et Encouragement

 

So it’s a New Year, and  the  first thing to do as a doctor in the UK  is drink a cup of  tea in bed, leaf through the BMJ and  the Times and check that your obituary has not been published. Provided that’s OK, it’s time to get out of bed and start the New Year with one or two resolutions.  You might, if you are particularly eminent, check that you haven’t been named in the New Year’s Honours list, but I guess you get asked about that in advance.

In Chad it is more or less the same, except that the BMJ arrives about a month late and the Guardian Weekly doesn’t post obituaries, and the honours list?

 Last Thursday morning at 9:15 am  I was doing some admin in the office when Mbai gave me a letter that had arrived the day before, it was from the mayor’s office inviting me to a ceremony to mark the New Year, seating of guests was between 8 and 9:30 with the ceremony scheduled to begin at 10 am. Should I go? It wasn’t very convenient, was it just a circular and I didn’t need to be there?  I had a ward round to do followed by a busy clinic which I was hoping to finish early so that the staff could take part in the annual hospital union elections. I rapidly decided that I should go, we are here to be part of things and get involved in Chadian life and that is what is needed so be it. 

After a quick dash to the pharmacy and wards to explain my absence I was back in the office when Mbai said, the mayors secretary had just rung, ‘are you coming, the mayor  has something to give you.’ Great I’d made the right decision.  Straight into the car and a 10 minute drive along the dusty tracks until I arrived at Farcha and the Commune of the Premiere Arrondissement at 2 minutes past 10. It looked busy,lots of people, lots of police and other official 4X4 vehicles. After a quick emptying of pockets and once over with a metal detector I was shown through to the yard beside the offices to where couple of hundred invited guests were waiting for the Mayor to arrive They were seated on plastic garden chairs under a brightly coloured temporary cloth covered shelter  listening to arab style music from  a large PA system. I was ushered to a place of honour, with various police officers, gendarmes etc. We were sat  in rows,facing the main crowd, behind an enormous vacant sofa where the mayor would be seated. About 10 minutes later the mayor arrived and in front of the assembled TV cameras and press  the ceremony began. After a short introduction by the General Secretary it was the turn of the Mayor to speak. He thanked everyone for finding the time to come to his modest ceremony and wished everyone a peaceful, prosperous and healthy New Year. Then he outlined the improvements to the Premiere Arrondissement over the past year, new roads,  improved electricity supply etc. and then the difficulties due to reduced budgets with the falling price of oil, and the  new problem  of combatting terrorism and the need for all citizens to be united in their efforts to be united against it. He then announced that the ceremony would continue with the presentation of certificates to thank and encourage people who have made a particular contribution to the arrondissement in the past year.

First a number of police chiefs and gendarmes were honoured, as it was noted without them where would we be in these troubled times. Then the Mayors body guard, and other members of his staff, local  chiefs, school teachers, religious leaders and members of the local business community including David, a Chadian who with his Swedish wife Sarah  owns the farm where Ruth and Rebecca used to go horse riding. They have an expanding cheese making business. And finally as it was said, ‘’la santé avant tout’’, Dr Soloukna, the District Medical Officer and Dr Mark, the medical director of L’hôpital de Guinebor II.

As is normal there followed a ‘petit cocktail’, and an announcement was made to say who was to go to which area to eat.  I didn’t quite know where I was to go, but the secretary general picked me out in the crowd and took me in the mayor’s office a large room with all the chiefs, minus its usual sofas and in their place on a large table were two whole roast stuffed goats. Each person cut off their own portion, absolutely delicious as was the cous-cous and vegetable stuffing. The Chief from Alllaye was sat next to me and put what I took to be a delicacy on my plate. Rounded at one end and concave at the other, yellowy brown, I couldn’t tell what organ it was ,an eyeball a testicle?  It felt rubbery and I bit in to it with a certain trepidation only to find out that it was simply an egg white changed in colour by the stuffing!

On the way out there was lots of handshaking and congratulations, a few photos (sorry I didn’t take a camera)  and then it was back to the hospital to see some patients. I reflected in the car on the way back that although I am not a big fan of honours in the name of an anachronistic colonial institution but there does seem to me to be a place for civic recognition of the work of organisations and individuals for the good of society.

The next morning I showed the certificate to the staff and thanked them all, cleaners, doctors, grounds staff, guards, laboratory technicians, midwives nurses and pharmacy staff from the part of the Mayor for all their hard work in serving the hospital and the local community. It is after all the hospital team ,composed of many parts that functions together that represents the body of Jesus that should be thanked and encouraged.