Polina

Nigel writes:
Polina is an anaesthetic nurse working at Cure Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. I had the privilege of spending 3 months working alongside her and her 2 colleagues Hannah and Patricia. She has a lovely personality and a very affectionate and unique way with people. Her laugh is one of her trademarks. She strives for perfection and is one of the most careful anaesthetists I have ever met.

Polina preparing a patient for surgery.

I learned so much from her practically but the thing that struck me most was that her motivation was out of love for her patients. She was humble in everything she did. She had many issues with her job and pay, like most hospital employees in Malawi, but this never got in the way of her willingness to learn and constantly trying to better herself. As I have mentioned before, she earned just enough to feed and clothe her family. Buying a house or travelling outside of the country was out of the question. Her job was a stressful one. Unfortunately though, as I’ve noticed throughout the year, anaesthesia in Africa is not high on the priority list, so the conditions, equipment and pay do not take this into account. Polina, working for Cure though, was probably one of the ‘luckier’ ones.

Polina on the left leading the dancing.

In the morning devotions, Polina was known to be the funkiest dancer and worship leader around. She loved to preach and encourage others to reach their full potential. She became a good friend of both Michal and I during our time there and we liked to hang out with her. I will never forget her response when Michal gave her a painting as we left to come home. She fell to her knees and just stared at it with tears in her eyes. These moments never cease to humble me.

Polina with a young patient.