I had such a strong reaction to this piece that I decided to set it free and send it out to the whole list. A lot of readers reached out to say it captured something of their own feelings, especially a few who had been in hospital, like me, watching those insane anti-lockdown protests.
A few weeks into this sprawling mess of a half-national lockdown, I imagined that I was going to die. I was in a doctor’s office, talking to a respiratory specialist about the strange chest infection I’d been carrying around since early May.
One point someone raised in the comment thread, which I had been vaguely reaching for through the fog of my own post operative thoughts, was to consider the feelings of the medical staff who had treated that poor young woman who died in Sydney last weekend - getting off shift and coming home to see the Tok Tok guy shitshow on the evening news.
Their feelings we can only guess at; their reaction we already know. The next day they would get up and take themselves back to work in their hospitals and ICUs and they would do it all over again. Even as cases from the super-spreader protests appeared in their emergency rooms.
Mate so glad u r ok. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Today I heard some good advice which basically said keep on living , do your best n enjoy every day. An trying to follow that advice myself as I battle impending loss of sight.
Having recently had my latest Khyber Cam, the one where they put a camera where the sun don't shine, I can whole heartedly agree with your sentiments on nurses. One aspect that has little coverage with nurses and hospital staff generally is the high proportion of physical assaults on nurses in relation to the average in the general public. This has something to do with them having to deal with a lot of drug fueled admissions and those who have mental heatlh problems as nurses try to do their job. The employment of security guards in hospitals does little to stop the violence as they have very limited powers
May I propose that the Federal regime in bubbleville initiate a national plebicite asking if nursing staff be given a rise in salary in step with federal politicians salary increases.
I suspect that the results would not be made public on such spurious grounds of cabinet confidencially, national security, upset public confidance in the Canberra cabal or whatever the plethora of ex News Corp acolytes that dominate the Prime Ministers Department can spin the narrative to make it look like another Labor Party plot.
A student nurse from my country town is doing her final placement in Sydney atm, away from her young children and family. She goes from the ER to her cell-like nurses quarters room because of lockdown. That's the extent pf her current life.
She is distraught because of the marches, noting that the staff at her hospital are already stretched to breaking point and she dreads the potential of the super-spreader.
The dedication of the medical staff under this duress is awe-inspiring.
Thanks again Mr Birmingham. Your comments about how doctors and nurses feel about the way things have gone are entirely apposite. Medical staff all over the world are doing it tough, largely because of imbecilic decisions and policies by politicians who are lunatics and/or criminally negligent and/or perpetrators of serial manslaughter.
The internet is full of testimony from these true heroes about the never-ending traumas they eoncounter EVERY DAY in their work. In my native country, Britain, the nutjob government of Boris Johnson, after a decade of austerity cuts to NHS funding, hypocritically latched onto the NHS as "national heroes", encouraged everyone to stand outside their homes every Thursday night and clap their little hearts out for medical staff, then offered nurses a totally derisory pay "rise" (bwa ha ha) of 1%. Yes, ONE percent. Then they wondered why nurses were demoralised.
Really. That's how out of touch they are. Search for articles by Rachel Clarke, mostly in the Guardian, about the desperate situation in UK hospitals. She's a senior doctor in one of them.
Doctors and nurses KNOW. One day, there will be accountability for this. Confucius he say, man who sit on river bank long enough get to see heads of enemies floating by. Im an old geezer and may not be able to sit on river bank long enough, but you younger folk, you'll see it. Don't stop holding these criminals to account. (Or I'll come back to haunt you.)
Mate so glad u r ok. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Today I heard some good advice which basically said keep on living , do your best n enjoy every day. An trying to follow that advice myself as I battle impending loss of sight.
Having recently had my latest Khyber Cam, the one where they put a camera where the sun don't shine, I can whole heartedly agree with your sentiments on nurses. One aspect that has little coverage with nurses and hospital staff generally is the high proportion of physical assaults on nurses in relation to the average in the general public. This has something to do with them having to deal with a lot of drug fueled admissions and those who have mental heatlh problems as nurses try to do their job. The employment of security guards in hospitals does little to stop the violence as they have very limited powers
May I propose that the Federal regime in bubbleville initiate a national plebicite asking if nursing staff be given a rise in salary in step with federal politicians salary increases.
I suspect that the results would not be made public on such spurious grounds of cabinet confidencially, national security, upset public confidance in the Canberra cabal or whatever the plethora of ex News Corp acolytes that dominate the Prime Ministers Department can spin the narrative to make it look like another Labor Party plot.
Here's to your quick recovery, JB.
A student nurse from my country town is doing her final placement in Sydney atm, away from her young children and family. She goes from the ER to her cell-like nurses quarters room because of lockdown. That's the extent pf her current life.
She is distraught because of the marches, noting that the staff at her hospital are already stretched to breaking point and she dreads the potential of the super-spreader.
The dedication of the medical staff under this duress is awe-inspiring.
Thanks again Mr Birmingham. Your comments about how doctors and nurses feel about the way things have gone are entirely apposite. Medical staff all over the world are doing it tough, largely because of imbecilic decisions and policies by politicians who are lunatics and/or criminally negligent and/or perpetrators of serial manslaughter.
The internet is full of testimony from these true heroes about the never-ending traumas they eoncounter EVERY DAY in their work. In my native country, Britain, the nutjob government of Boris Johnson, after a decade of austerity cuts to NHS funding, hypocritically latched onto the NHS as "national heroes", encouraged everyone to stand outside their homes every Thursday night and clap their little hearts out for medical staff, then offered nurses a totally derisory pay "rise" (bwa ha ha) of 1%. Yes, ONE percent. Then they wondered why nurses were demoralised.
Really. That's how out of touch they are. Search for articles by Rachel Clarke, mostly in the Guardian, about the desperate situation in UK hospitals. She's a senior doctor in one of them.
Doctors and nurses KNOW. One day, there will be accountability for this. Confucius he say, man who sit on river bank long enough get to see heads of enemies floating by. Im an old geezer and may not be able to sit on river bank long enough, but you younger folk, you'll see it. Don't stop holding these criminals to account. (Or I'll come back to haunt you.)
Hey jb great to hear all green lights there. Best wishes for full recovery. gs
So sorry you’ve been through the wringer John. Love your work - all the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
I’m stoked you’ve got the all clear matey, you’re a ray of sunshine on an overcast day. Happy to shout you a couple of coldies.
beautifully written John. I hope you're recovering well.