Faculty of Dentistry D r P r i s c i l l a B r i j l a l r i s i n g s ta r
Personal sacrifices needed to sustain balance during Covid-19 DOCTOR Priscilla Brijlal is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Den- training on patients. tistry and Head of Department of Oral Hygiene. She has exten- “The greatest challenge is the anxiety of being around people, sive expertise in the area of dental education, clinical practice patients and within a hospital setting where Covid-testing and and oral health promotion in South Africa. hospitalisation is in progress. Furthermore, the donning of perThe sudden shift to an online teaching environment was a huge sonal protective wear such as N95 masks with another surgical adjustment for her, like for so many others. “Facing the dawn of mask beneath, facial screens, head and foot gear, does not make an online-only work space was a significant shift for me. UWC is it easier. It is an incredibly challenging time for everyone in the a contact university and because of the clinical field I work in, it health sector. was a huge challenge making the shift; navigating the online “We work long clinical shifts and stand for all this time. Before space and being creative in the way we presented leaving the office, we have to change into our own lectures, assessments and attended meetings. clothing, which we again remove before enter“Although I am 20 years into lecturing, oning the house. Amidst all the commitments line preparation and teaching posed of home and work, death is looming many challenges as we transitioned over us in the workplace and in our from the traditional classroom families. We just have to support method we were accustomed to. each other to get by each day. I We had to learn fast and adapt draw strength from my family to the new changes instantaneand friends, while looking out ously. Furthermore, there was for those in need. no structure to the day. Work“A healthy work-life balance ing hours went into the night. was not much of a possibilIt was a challenge trying to ity over the last year – and get a system going at home women have had to make and it often led to exhaustion personal sacrifices to sustain and frustration.” any kind of balance. Like many of her colleagues, “I am at work every day at the Dr Brijlal believes that women Tygerberg Oral Health Cenhave been disproportionately tre, while my family work from affected by the pandemic. In the home. I still do the chores and initial months of the lockdown, cooking before I leave home. she worked from home, along with “I have had to cut corners to sustain the whole family and without a regular my sanity — cutting my prayer time, domestic worker to share the workload. drastically reduced my sleep time and “Women in general have household and often skipping meals and also my exercise childcare related responsibilities, in addition to time, just to keep house and up to date with workplace responsibilities. Apart from the daily rework. sponsibilities, the health of women is “I had to make peace with myself and more profoundly affected as they are slowly began to realise that whatever child-bearing, child-rearing and are fur- “I have had to cut corners to sustain my I am destined to do as a householder ther subjected to hormonal changes at sanity — cutting my prayer time, drasti- and a teacher, is my karma and my different life stages. cally reduced my sleep time and often prayer. My prayer is inherent in what I “In the absence of my helper, the day do to help the lives of others. skipping meals and also my exercise “My current goals are to ensure unstarted with household chores, making the breakfast, cleaning up and then go- time, just to keep house and up to date dergraduates and postgraduates coming online — either teaching, attending plete their studies in the minimum time, with work.” meetings or preparing online lectures. without having to experience major This was followed by preparation of challenges during this difficult period. the lunch meals and doing more household chores, going online These are more important than my own needs right now. again and then preparing for dinner. It was cleaning, cooking, eat- “I still have a desire to become an Associate Professor, however, ing and working — three times a day, for months.” the road is not easy and the avenues to facilitate this process Once the staff and students began returning to the faculty in a have been put on hold because of the overwhelming changes I phased approach, Dr Brijlal had to resume clinical teaching and currently encounter to get by each day.”
