“If you hear how these dentists talk to the mother and the child, it was just lef for me to cry and I could imagine how that woman feel. It wasn’t me and I feel really bad. I wonder to myself if is this poor people have to go through because is free service,” the woman said.
“Right away, if I had money, I woulda pick up me children and go and pay private. But thank God, the dentist we went to she was so nice. She put the children at ease, and she talk to them nice. It really please me heart.”
She smiled as she uttered the last words, but tears had glistened at the corners of her eyes when she first started speaking. She had just returned from accessing public dental services.
“Girl, I had to come and tell you because people need to know this is what poor people does have to go through. Who would want to go back to that place if is suh people does treat you? And then it will have people who need the service but because they afraid they wouldn’t go. Because honestly, leh me tell you, if it was me who hear dem words I didn’t going back,” she continued.
Like many she had awakened very early in the morning and taken two of her three children to access the services of the dental school. Less than two hours later, they had left the facility and she was satisfied with the service. But according to her she felt the “pain” of two other women and wanted to share. So, her first stop was at my office where she offloaded.
“From the time one a dem dentist go in, she had attitude even with the woman who registering name. I don’t know if she had a bad morning or what but when she passing the woman tell she how she had somebody with an appointment. She turn and say ‘I can’t deal with that right now’ but is not what she say is how she say it. Is like if she almost shouting. I turn and look away because I feel shame for the woman. I was standing right at the desk.
“After I hear how she talk to the woman, I was like ‘Lord please don’t leh me have to go to that woman.’ I was already shame because I had to take them children to the dentist. I try but they still had cavity and I thought, you know, they might tell me something. But I didn’t want to hear from that woman,” she said.
Luckily for her, she was ushered into another dentist, but it did not prevent her from hearing what transpired with two others.
“When I there and the dentist talking nice, nice to them children I hear one of them talking to a mother and it was only lef for me to cry. She was like asking the woman how she mek she child teeth get so bad. ‘Why you can’t ensure he brush he teeth three times a day? How he get all these rotten teeth? Look at the state of he mouth! Sometimes I don’t able with this nastiness.’ I didn’t hear the woman saying anything but then I hear she ask she how much children she get, and she say two. ‘Two children you get, and you can’t take time and mek sure deh scrub they teeth three times a day?!’
“And then she tell she, ‘He working anywhere? How he getting all dem juice and sweet mouth thing to eat?’ She then ask the child how old he was, and I couldn’t hear what he say but she turn and ask if he ain’t big enough to brush he teeth three times a day. After that is one big hollering and I could imagine the child must be just frighten she how she behave.
“When I passing out, I just see the woman sitting down there and you could see is only lef fuh she to cry. I feel so sorry for her. Now I know as a dentist she have to advise and even let parents know that they must take better care of they children teeth, but man not like duh. Not like if you talking to a dog or a pig. If was somebody in high society, you think she woulda talk to them like duh?” she questioned.
There was no need for an answer because we both knew the behaviour would have been totally different.
“But that was not all. In another room I hear this dentist tell the child if he don’t stop moving, she will push the needle in he nose and not he mouth. She then holler on he and tell he don’t spit on she and then was a big hollering with the children and is one lash he get on he foot. Now tell me why she had to do that to the child? The child done frighten already and she had to put he at ease. You see if it was me, after that I did picking up me child and walk out.
“It make me really feel that poor people in this world don’t have no chance. People does treat we like the worse of the worse. Why they do it only God alone know but I guess it is just because we poor.
“You see it ain’t happen to me but when I lef deh I was just hoping to God I don’t have to go back. I will try and make sure I don’t have to go back. You does have to build mind to wake up and go to them places duh, is not easy at all.
“Anyway girl… I just had to come and tell you about how poor people does get treat in this place. If them two mother had money, they wouldn’t take them children there. But people have to understand when them take them job they have to treat people better, just do better man.”
I did not say much because I knew the sister just wanted to vent. But even as she spoke, I imagined how the mothers of those children felt. Regardless of any negligence in taking care of their children’s teeth, no one wants to be spoken to in such a manner. And I felt for the children as well. At the end of that experience, I am sure they were traumatised and would be scared to make another visit to the dentist.
There are many horror stories of how people are treated when accessing services in the public sector, but as the sister said, those delivering the services need to learn to treat and speak to people in a more humane manner. They mostly deal with the downtrodden in society, those who are most vulnerable, and by treating them with such scant regard, they could be inflicting further damage on an already messed of psyche. Be kind, be patient and be understanding is all we ask when delivering services or just dealing with another human being.
