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“Sometimes I ask for gloves from my friends who work for some organisations and also ask
from the clinics from a person who is looking after the clinic. Sometimes they give us one
pack but it is not enough. We also try to buy but we do not have funds to continue buying
because one packet of gloves is expensive we can’t afford.” HBCC organisation B
Due to lack of funds for purchasing materials for infection control practices, volunteer
caregivers had to reuse the aprons and gloves or use plastics in place of gloves. This caused
them to fear contagion, feel frustrated and demoralised. This is presented in the following
statements:
“When we do not have gloves they must use empty plastics for bread in place of gloves so
that it can play the role that gloves play because there is no other way it is really frustrating
to these carers.” (HBCC, organisation A)
“…We take those used gloves, wash and re-use them. These aprons we just use the other side,
but we are supposed to use them once and get new ones. Now that we re-use them…it’s a big
problem it is risky and it’s not right!” (Focus Group 7, organisation G)
Furthermore, some volunteer caregivers mentioned that they did not perform their physical
duties without materials due to fear of contagion by the patients as such, they only focused on
providing counselling and in some instances they would not visit any patients. This is evident
in the following response:
“We tell them that we are not going to help them because we have run out of stock of
materials and we are not abandoning you but there is nothing we can do. Sometimes we don’t
even go there.” Focus Group 4, organisation D)
4.6.3 Poor quality materials
Most participants in focus group discussions were unhappy and complained about poor
quality materials (such as gloves, masks and aprons) that they received. They feared
contagion and they could not perform their work effectively and efficiently. They made the
following statements:
“When we bath people...the gloves they give us here...our hands are not the same, like mine
they are small, others have bigger hands. When you wear gloves and you've only washed the
face of the patient, you only discover that they are torn and there is water inside the glove.
Sometimes they are tight here on the wrist, some they have small holes, some they are loose
and they easily break! They are just too short for this kind of work that we do!”
(Focus group 5, organisation E)
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