#WomensMonth: Engineering is vital to deliver quality care, says Mariam Anthony
Anthony has been employed at the hospital for the past 39 years and is nearing her retirement. “I started working at the hospital in 1982 in the medical informatics department as a data typist. In 1993, I was moved to the engineering department and that is where I still am working. There are approximately 80 staff working in the department with most of the staff being men. My job entails doing the administration work for all the staff working in the department,” she says.
Highs and lows
Working at the hospital fhas had highlights and sad moments. “One of my highlights is the fact that I met my husband 20 years ago at the hospital who is also an employee here. Sad moments are when colleagues die who have been working with you for all the years. We also have fun moments where we play dominoes and cards during the tea and lunch breaks. Just a pity Covid-19 has put a stop to that currently,” Anthony says.
“It’s not easy to be one of a few women working in the department. As a woman, you must have a strong character to work with all the men. If you show them respect you will get the same respect back from them, and that is what makes it so enjoyable to work in this department. I am very comfortable working with all my colleagues, they have become like my second family. I feel, as a woman, we need to be appreciated for what we do, especially someone like me who works in a male-dominated environment,” she says.