THE FEVER RIDE

We drove down to the village. "Turn left here," Joel said.
"But there's no street!" I said.
"Go in between the houses."
I turned left and drove through weeds and over rubble. I stopped the car at Frenki's house.

>Frenki appeared - inbetween two of his friends who more carried than guided him to the car. Sweat was all over his face, his t-shirt wet and his whole body shivered.
"Oh God," I thought, "he is more dead than alive!"
The friends got him in the car and took seats on either side of him. We took off. In our village I drove carefully for Frenki not to be shaken too much. As soon as we got to the tarmac road to Lindi I began speeding. Only when passing through villages I slowed down to avoid accidents.
"Now you are driving like in Germany," Joel said, looking at me with a grin on his face. Boy, he keeps his humor! My only thought was to get Frenki to hospital alive. And that was almost a one hour's ride away!

"Please turn off the AC - and leave the windows shut, Frenki feels cold," someone requested. What!? It was hot outside, getting hot inside. The swoon would suffocate me! I was trying to concentrate on the road and they don't think of anything else but... Yet for Frenki's sake I did as I was asked.

We made it safely to town and to the hospital gate. I drove on the compound. The way was full of gravel and stones. Frenki was given another good shake. Finally we arrived at the entrance. Freddy was put on a stretcher and taken inside. I remained outside, waiting if I still could be of assistance. I called my wife to tell her that we had arrived safely. Meanwhile she had talked to the Boss and he said that we should charge the mileage to Frenki's family. That's what he also does, when he has to take an employee to town. I was stunned. That was eighty thousand shillings for a man who perhaps earned one hundred and fifty thousand a month! Yes, one thousand shillings per kilometer, that was the rate a four-wheel-drive costs and the distance was eighty kilometers for the round trip. How should Frenki pay it and make it through the month with his family, now that he was sick and could not work? I was greatly irritated. Yes, driving to town would cost the boss the same as it cost me, but why charge the full amount on his worker? I tried my best to understand, and yet it did not make sense to me. The most that I possibly could charge him was four thousand shillings, equivalent to a Dala Dala (van, serving as public transport) ride. However, in the end my wife and I decided to write the mileage on our private account and not charge Frenki.

After some time Joel came out of the hospital. "Frenki was diagnosed with malaria. They have given him medicine and the doctor said, he will be better soon." He asked me if I could take him downtown. He needed to buy some food for Frenki. The Hospital does not provide it. The colleagues are saving up a little money each month to cover these expenses in case of hospitalisation. Fortunately Frenki was insured via his employer, so that the treatment was covered.

As I drove home I reflected on my experiences. Frenki was lucky that the NGO where he worked covered the standard health care. The majority of farm- and plantation-workers is not officially employed. They themselves have to cover the contribution to the health system - and this they usually cannot afford. There is still much to be improved.

Alexander Breitenbach

Photo: "House in a coastal village", by Alexander Breitenbach