Suffer the Children Doctors

I know. Takes a bit of getting used to.

"All you know for sure is...

"..where we were born.

"Is the pain in our eyes too hard to see?

"We flee from a land that is torn.

"We are people, not pests.

"Is that hard to swallow? Do the names make it easy?

"To discriminate is easier to digest,"

"To look, to see, like a hurt in your chest".

Mick, meet Ruhma.

Welcome to the madhouse.

-I'm just joshing with you.

-Right.

Any problems, anything you need to know, just let me know.

Thank you.

OK, who's first?

You'll pick it up as we go along.

You know, I worry about you, army boy.

Oh, yeah? Why's that, then?

Do you enjoy guarding women?

It's a job.

Big, tough guy like you.

It must seem like a demotion, no?

Oi, hey, where are you going?

You need to sit back down. You need to see the midwife.

-It's OK. Let me.

-Well...

Be my guest.

You know what it is? What to do?

SHE SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE

The marks on her arm - you didn't even ask her about them.

No.

She's clearly self-harming, isn't she?

And we're here to do a job, as best we can.

Right, so you will mention it to the doctor?

Yes, but by then, she may be gone.

There's no getting away from the fact that incarceration

leads to high levels of stress, depression, psychosis, even.

Doesn't that make you angry?

I haven't got time to be angry.

I know my limitations.

I can't change the system, and I can't fix everyone.

No.

So, do you want to get the next one?

Yeah.

"My village is beautiful.

"You should visit one day.

"The sun sets right behind where the childrens play.

"Hers is an ancient city, full of art and musk.

"Now my village has turned to ashes, hers rubble and dust."

So, how's sunny Botswana?

Oh, I have been stuck in the house for the last three days.

The rain has been torrential.

That is why I have been thinking about you all.

Yeah, we're missing you too.

Mr Galadima seemed a little anxious last time I spoke to him.

Is he settling in, making himself at home?

Yeah, he certainly is.

What did you say?

Is everything all right?

It's great.

I sensed a little hesitation.

Oh, no, it must be the connection.

This is his first post in general practice.

It is very important to him.

So I hope you are all going out of your way to help him,

give him guidance, for my sake.

What I said earlier - I didn't mean to criticise.

I know there are things about this place which are pretty hard

-to stomach at times.

-Sure, but you don't need me on me soapbox.

Just relax. You're doing me a favour by just being here.

-But we need to crack on, yeah?

-Yeah.

Let me take that for you.

Who's next?

Trust me. They will take care of you.

We sure will. What's your name?

-She doesn't say much.

-Does she need an interpreter?

She seems to understand, just won't speak.

Would you like to sit?

She'll be fine.

Come on, we're going to go next door.

I'm going to ask you a few questions about your pregnancy.

There's nothing to be frightened about.

It's so I can give you the best possible care.

Do you know how many weeks pregnant you are?

Is this your first baby?

You have children, yeah?

"I have no name here, just a number.

"Poked and checked for disease, watched as I shower,

"Shut away, hidden from your conscience

"A headline, or a problem, nuisance."

So how do you like this place?

Um, I've not really formed an opinion.

Yes, you have.

Everyone wants to get out, is in a rush to leave.

Except for me, of course.

Where are you from, Joyce?

South Sudan, so I appreciate having a bed and water.

I'm even grateful for the food, although it makes you sick.

You know, you seem a little bit undernourished.

It's really important that you have fresh fruit and vegetables,

so I could have a word.

I'm sorry.

You are new here.

One of them's fainted.

Right, erm...

I won't be a sec.

JOYCE GRUNTS

JOYCE GRUNTS

"They bring new laws here, but there is no justice,

"So I stand up to authority, March for women at the university

"Then they beat me, rape, burn my skin,

"The man says I am animal, soaked in sin

"Carrying out his genocide with a smile and a grin."

I'd say you're almost full term.

She should never have been sent here.

She's well over the Home Office limit for detention.

Nothing to do with me.

Right, I'm going to sort this.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and get you to the hospital

this afternoon for a scan.

It's all right, everything is fine.

But first, I need your name.

Leyla. Leyla Farooq.

KNOCK AT DOOR Come in.

-Got a minute?

-Yeah.

-Only I could use those figures for the CCG.

OK, I'll get them together, and I'll pop them in to you.

Thanks. You've got a nice house.

Thank you.

I had no idea Will was your nephew.

Yeah, well, how could you?

Sure it wasn't awkward, me staying over?

No. No, it wasn't awkward at all.

Right.

I mean, I'm pretty relaxed about Will bringing people back.

-So he does it a lot?

-No, I mean in...

..in principle.

I know it's only early days, but I really like him.

Well, I'm sure he likes you too.

Can I ask a favour? Can we keep this between ourselves?

Fine by me.

Good. Better get back to it.

-Don't forget those figures.

-Yeah.

Don't worry, it's OK.

I could see you were nervous back there,

-just checking you're all right.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

I'm one of the good guys. Keep an eye out for people like you.

I can get you things.

Nice food, better clothes, shampoo.

Maybe even pull a few strings, you know, get you out of here.

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

The one thing I ask, you know, is this.

You understand?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

It's just stuff I write.

"My skin is a map of your wars, my body a testament to your lies."

What do you think?

I think it's pretty hard-hitting.

Joyce, um...

..you just left?

You had a lot of other people to see.

Well, you are just as important.

LEYLA SHOUTS IN OWN LANGUAGE

-What's happened?

-She just went nuts!

Hey, are you all right?

I'm here now. Your friend.

It's OK. It's OK.

Hey. Hey! Why were you in that room?

Well, I could see she's having a hard time.

-I was just trying to reach out, checking she was OK.

-It's OK.

-Why did she start screaming?

-I don't know.

-Come with me.

I was trying to be nice, and then, next minute,

she just totally freaks out.

She came flying at me. Look at my face.

You know that she's vulnerable,

so why would you be in that room alone with her?

I don't have to justify myself to you.

No, but you can take those restraints off.

-Can't do that.

-She's pregnant.

Yeah, and violent.

I know you're scared, but you have to tell me what he did.

I've heard rumours, you see.

He gets things for women, in return for...

Did he touch you?

What else did he...?

-LEYLA GROANS

-What is it?

-What's wrong? The baby?

-Yes!

Someone, help! I need help in here!

-KNOCK AT DOOR

-Come in.

-I've got you those figures.

-Ah.

You having fun?

Just sweating a presentation I've got to give later.

Oh, yeah? To whom?

The next round of applicants on the NHS Fast Track scheme.

-Is that the one you did?

-Yeah.

I know how to structure a presentation,

but they'll be hoping for pearls of wisdom.

Well, you must have picked up something here, surely.

Zara still thinks I should stick to BOGOFs.

Yeah, well, forget Zara.

Just, um, talk about Mrs Tembe, and the mentoring.

There's also Ruhma's placement today, which I helped to arrange.

Be even better if I had some idea of how she's getting on.

-Anyways, thanks for these. I'm sure I'll think of something.

-Mm.

Erm, look, I've got half an hour over lunch or something,

if you want to chuck a few ideas back and forth,

-if you think it'll help.

-Yeah? That'd be great. Thanks!

-Mm.

Are you sure I can't get you anything?

-Just a little glass of water?

-LEYLA MOANS

OK, OK, slow, nice and easy.

-And in...

-BOTH INHALE DEEPLY

OK, right, yeah, as soon as, yeah? Thank you. Bye.

I've requested an ambulance.

That's her second contraction in five minutes.

-I don't think we can wait that long.

-Right.

Give the woman some dignity, and get those handcuffs off!

LEYLA MOANS

A quiet word, then.

I've already told your colleague why the restraints are necessary.

I heard what happened earlier. The whole place has.

I don't know what you're talking about.

The woman's traumatised.

You knew that, thought you could take advantage.

-I don't know what you mean.

-Fine...

I can play that game.

I'll file a report, get it investigated.

You'll be wasting your time.

Or you could be a good boy and take off those cuffs.

-Happy?

-Now leave.

What?

This woman is about to give birth,

she deserves some privacy!

Tell me you are going to report him.

No.

Y-You're just going to let him get away with it?

There's no CCTV in there, no witnesses.

Just his word against hers.

So he was right about one thing,

I would be wasting my time.

-Hey, Jimmi. I've made a start.

-Oh, yeah?

I've put together some topics to cover,

thought I'd begin with a few general tips.

Like...organisation, time management.

-Right.

-Then I was going to talk about Ruhma,

the whole concept of intrapreneurship, how it

allows employees to push their boundaries, that kind of thing.

-What?

-Well, it could work.

-You don't like it?

-No, it's just...a little dry.

"I sit across the desk from you, my Home Office Accuser

"You ask so many questions, like you want to confuse.

"When did this happen? What did they do to you?"

Says here she was picked up a week ago, as an illegal.

She was living on the streets.

So close to giving birth?

How did she end up like that? Joyce.

Do you know where she's from?

I asked around and someone reckons she's from Mosul in Iraq.

I don't know if she's told anyone.

"How many men rape, how many witnesses?

"Oh, there were plenty..."

There's no mention of her family.

Leyla,

do you have a husband, or...children?

"But let me ask you one question.

"Do you see me, do you even care, Mr Stranger?"

Maybe you could talk about what got you into the scheme

in the first place?

I was a business administration officer,

didn't really feel stretched.

Didn't know how to take the next step up.

And Mrs Tembe and the mentorship, how did that come about?

I met her on the Fast Track scheme,

knew a lot of people spoke highly of her.

I take it there was some kind of interview?

We had coffee.

She grilled me in her own subtle kind of way.

A bit like you're doing now.

Look, a few years back,

I was supposed to be delivering this big speech to a symposium.

I knew the speech was awful, I was agonising over it for days.

-Sounds familiar.

-Yeah,

well, by the time I got to the podium, I was a bag of nerves

and I just stood there, and I tore up the speech.

In a moment of madness or bravery?

Bit of both, I guess.

It was one of the scariest moments in my life.

Just standing there, facing an audience.

But instead of quoting figures and platitudes,

I just spoke from the heart.

I talked about my OCD, I talked about what it meant to live

with the OCD, what it meant to have it in my life.

And my work as a GP.

I didn't even know you had OCD.

Ask Will, he'll tell you.

Anyway, at the end, there was silence.

I mean, pin drop silence, that quiet.

And then suddenly everyone started applauding, and then people came up

to me afterwards, and they wanted to talk about their experiences.

Wow, I mean,

for baring your soul like that.

You're saying I should take a more personal angle?

Yes.

-You don't think it might look unprofessional?

-No.

It's exactly the kind of thing that people relate to.

PHONE VIBRATES I'm not saying it's easy, but...

It's Will calling. I'll call him back.

No, it's fine.

Look, I'm in the middle of...

Yeah, me too.

Let's get this baby out.

When you're ready, I want a nice, big push.

Go on, lady, squeeze as hard as you like.

Good girl. Good girl. That's it, I can see the head.

OK, stop.

-Is everything all right?

-Everything's fine.

Got a nuchal cord.

Is it loose, can you loop it round the head?

It's too tight.

Next push could cut off baby's oxygen.

Cutting the cord now's not a great idea, either...

No chance of an emergency C section if she needs it.

Right. Somersault manoeuvre?

I think she wants to push.

Only when I say so.

Something is wrong, isn't it?

Why aren't you telling us?

The cord is wrapped around the baby's head.

We're going to have to be very careful how we deliver it.

-OK!

-Leyla? Do you understand what Anita's just said?

Yes.

No more interruptions.

Er... So why the NHS? Both your parents work at St Phil's?

Mum's a nurse manager, Dad's a theatre nurse.

So, they inspired you?

They do now, but as a kid, I hated the fact that they worked

so many overnights and long shifts.

All my mates' parents seemed to be around a lot more.

Plus, when they were home, they never stopped complaining -

about their jobs, especially their managers.

So why did you become one?

I resisted at first, which is why I ended up working in a supermarket.

You learn a lot there, a lot about human nature.

People distraught because you've run out of their favourite mayonnaise.

It once took us two hours to calm a guy down

who'd bought a TV, brought it back saying the picture was terrible.

And was it?

Turned out he hadn't removed the protective plastic covering.

Apparently, we should have told him when he bought the TV.

Takes all sorts.

Funny thing was, I enjoyed working there, earned good money.

It was something which felt pretty random, pretty small at the time

which made me realise I needed to make the switch.

-Can you hold it?

-Yep, yep.

"They kill our men with knives and machetes

"Say the truth burns bright as they hack off his head.

"Watch blood pour into sand, buildings burning

"Women grabbing their children, running."

It's a girl.

She's beautiful!

"Don't stop, no, keep on

"Until your arms are light, babies gone."

Would you like to hold her?

You couldn't miss Judy, to be fair, she was a pretty flamboyant dresser,

always had rouge on her cheeks, in big, red circles.

Sounds like quite a character?

She lit up the place.

All the staff knew her when she'd come in once a day,

regular as clockwork.

It wasn't that noticeable at first, but then she'd start bulk-buying

random items -

six packets of butter,

five jars of marmalade.

The first time she left without paying for anything,

she was mortified when someone pointed it out.

Of course, I let it go.

-Dementia?

-Mm.

The thing was, she was on her own,

apart from a daughter who...lived outside of town.

I set up a system so that if Judy's behaviour raised any flags,

we'd be on the phone to her daughter straightaway.

It was a life-line for them both.

It meant that Judy could live in her own home just that bit longer.

So what happened to her?

She died last year.

Her daughter tracked me down, even though

I'd left the supermarket by then,

invited me to the funeral.

Anyways, it made me realise that small things can make a big

difference, inspired me to think I could do more good

working in the NHS. Even though it meant a pretty big pay cut!

Listen to me, babbling away.

No, don't worry.

I mean, there's your speech, right there.

I know your game.

I'm going to get proof, you know.

You'll be long gone.

Isn't that why you got pregnant?

Get yourself some nice social housing,

instead of being sent back to where you belong?

And where's that?

Whichever hell-hole you come from.

-South Sudan.

-The difference?

You shouldn't be here, flouting the system,

taking hand-outs from the British taxpayer.

All I'm doing is asking for help.

Why should we help you? Why's it our problem?

You know, when I was in the Army,

I saw how people like you live.

More like animals than humans.

Part of the reason why there is a civil war in my country is

because of your Great Britain.

They came to colonise, divided tribes.

Peoples who had lived together in peace for centuries

suddenly had to choose sides,

started to kill one another.

Tell it to some bleeding heart liberal.

Hey, I was looking for you.

-Sounds ominous.

-We need some clothes for the baby.

Are you all right?

Joyce? Joyce?

-Whoa... Can you give me a hand?

-Just...

-Just give me a hand!

Joyce...? OK, OK!

Judy made me realise that something which might have

seemed like a small thing to me at the time,

but made a huge difference to her and her daughter.

So qualifications are important, yes,

but ultimately, it's the other skills you learn along the way.

Listen more than you talk.

Take the time to explain something properly,

ask questions

and above all, don't stop learning.

It's a little high.

And so's your temperature.

I missed lunch,

I probably stood up too quickly.

And pregnant women get dizzy all the time, right?

With all the hormone changes, yes, it's pretty common.

There you go.

Joyce, you...

You never let me examine you...

No.

No, I didn't.

Can I just have...

..a little listen to baby, please?

Thank you.

I, um...

I can't...

It's OK, I know.

My baby is dead.

Maybe I'm wrong.

Movement all the time and then suddenly nothing for two days.

I'm sorry.

With everything going on,

it was too much to hope to bring a baby into this world.

Such a world as it is.

Yeah.

So, it's for the best.

"My beautiful children, one lost to the sea,

"Another to the cruel sands of the Sahara.

"Why aren't they the ones who breathe life?

"Instead of this baby born of my violation and strife."

"You ask about my future

"And I have no answer.

"How can I, when I live in this dark place?

"This cancer of a life that is no life

"Hope only despair cuts my heart like a knife.

"Instead...

"I dream of a place that is long gone...

"A family of ghosts.

"Imagine them cooking,

"a child playing in the sun.

"And then I wake up...

"and all of them...

"gone."

I'm not coming.

It's just a couple of hours.

It seems like a waste of time.

I think we should give it a go.

Heston had a couple of cancellations.

The system went down, I couldn't tell him.

Is he in a mood, or is it just me?

Ignorant ageism. That's what it is.

-I wish.

-IT IS.

Yeah, it's me.

Can I go now?