What is it like to be on shift at a hospital on the Cape Flats?

From gunshot wounds to stabbings and blunt trauma, a doctor at one of South Africa’s most notorious “hidden” public spaces reveals what she has to go through on a daily basis, working at the emergency unit at Mitchells Plain District Hospital.

Part of a 10-part video series brought to you by Times Live and 1Life Insurance, Dr Raisa Aysen breaks down what each shift is like.:

Domestic abuse and other forms of interpersonal trauma are all in a night’s work for Dr Raisa Aysen, especially as the end of each month approaches.

Aysen and her team are “on their feet all night” at the facility, she says, stitching up bloody wounds but at the same time she describes the joy of saving a life. A tiny radio plays softly in the background, keeping the team motivated and awake during their gruelling shift. Aysen is not one to shy away from blood or the reasons why it flows so freely in this notorious part of the Western Cape.

“I get to do magic with my hands,” she says. Victim after victim arrive on stretchers and, no matter what, the medical team have each other’s backs. There is no such thing as “taking a break” because, she says calmly, “all the patients have to be seen to”.

Statistics South Africa’s latest crime figures saw Cape Town having a whopping 38 780 cases of reported assaults for the 2014/2015 period, and Mitchells Plain contributed significantly to this.

According to Times Live, in “40% of home assault cases and 33% of street assault cases the perpetrator was under the influence of drugs or alcohol”.

Watch Dr Aysen ‘do magic with her hands’ below:

Landing on the web every Monday until the end of May, the videos brought to you by 1Life Insurance provide exclusive visuals into the lives and perspectives of people working in interesting professions in South Africa.

For a company who understands the value of human life, we couldn’t think of anyone better to give you insight into the various situations you could find yourself in.

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You never know what’s going to happen to you, after all.

[source:timeslive]