Listening to problems is my job

When two Jews meet and one has a problem, the other one automatically becomes a rabbi. This Jewish saying champions the importance of having a friend to share your problems with.

In professional circles, it is social work that embodies this spirit. But who invented social work and what is it all about?

This is a nagging question that even scholars struggle to unravel. But Jacob Miriti, 38, has taken it up as a profession.

Miriti begins his day at 7.30a.m as a medical social worker at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

“Social work is a circular profession with no circumference, and whose centre is everywhere.” That is the definition he assigns his work.

“It is holistic,” he explains.

Listening to people’s problems and concerns is his daily routine — and a job he says he loves. It shows in his words and body language.

According to Miriti, social work is about the promotion, restoration, and enhancement of the functions of individuals, families, and the greater society. We all do it at some level, he says.

“When two people meet and one inquires about the welfare of the other, that is an aspect of social work.”

In hospitals, such as where he is stationed, social work is aimed at giving health care a human face.

Miriti studied social work at the Kenya Institute of Administration and has been at his present work station since 1982.

He took a break nine years later to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course in community and health studies at the University of West England in Bristol.

He was then posted to the hospital’s renal unit and assigned the task of counselling patients set to undergo renal procedures such as dialysis.

“I counsel them on both the psychological and economic effects of the treatment that they are undergoing,” he explains.

“I also help them cope with the side effects of some conditions like loss of weight, hair loss, and, in some instances, how to respond to stigma and discrimination.”

His work is about being available to listen to the problems of others. According to the social worker, one doesn’t have to have an immediate solution. It is not about walking around with the key to all problems, as many think.

According to Miriti, “Listening to someone without saying a word could make all the difference in the world.”

It is a difficult job, he admits, but also spiritually rewarding. “The reward is in knowing that I have helped someone and that I made a difference in their life, however minimal,” he says.

Miriti is a member of a team of 30 social workers who cover the sections of the hospital that require psycho-social support.

More often than not, he replies to the same question at least three times a day. This calls for patience.

A successful medical social worker needs to learn to be the patient’s friend — he is the good man or woman who understands the issues affecting the patient in ways that the attending doctors or nurses may not.

For example, Miriti’s responsibilities at the renal unit at Kenyatta include explaining to the patients and close family members the effects of major procedures being carried out and the drugs prescribed.

He also informs them about the causes of renal failure, the duration of dialysis, and the possibility of the family having to look for a kidney donor.

This helps friends, relatives, and the patients to make decisions that can alleviate distress.

Part of Miriti’s job also includes advising the hospital’s finance department to grant credit to patients who are unable to pay medical bills.

“I write a report detailing the history of the patient and the arrangements they have made to pay the bills,” he says.

Interested in doing this kind of work? Patience and being out-going and non-judgmental are the key attributes that Miriti says will enable you to easily mingle with people from different social settings and with diverse personalities.

You also need professional training, preferably a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work. The course is offered in most tertiary institutions.