The Finest Art

"As hospitals gasp for breath at the height of each wave of the pandemic, the nurses working with Covid patients never let go of hope and healing, even when they are battered themselves. The virus has become more advanced — but so have these professionals dealing with it."

- By Paula Slier and Sasha Star

The trauma unit of South Africa's reputed Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is usually abuzz with urgent activity. Gurneys rush back and forth with bleeding patients as medical staff shout instructions over beeping machines. Overwhelming is a mild way to describe it.

“The trauma cases that healthcare workers are exposed to in South Africa are overboard, mostly due to issues in our communities. Countries overseas often send their own healthcare workers here to gain exposure and experience in regards to trauma,” says Dr Marietjie Theron who trains nurses at Empilweni Education, a private nursing college in Johannesburg.

New Year’s Eve is typically the busiest night of the year at the hospital, with a steady stream of patients from vehicle accidents and violent disputes caused by drunken activity. But as 2020 shifted into 2021, the trauma unit was empty for the first time in its eight-decade history. Instead of dealing with broken bones and stab wounds, nurses at Africa’s largest hospital were treating patients who could not get enough oxygen into their lungs because of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

In the time that has passed since, South Africa has encountered two more waves of Covid-19. The virus has become more advanced — but so have the healthcare professionals dealing with it.

“It was very scary when I first heard of Covid, because I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what to do. Nobody had any knowledge. Everything that was done was through trial and error,” recalls Sister Lucia Sikhakane who heads the Covid ward at Netcare St. Augustine’s Hospital in Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.