Why do Nigerians go to hospitals?

Here I go again, asking foolish questions with obvious answers!

Why else will they go to hospitals – obviously to get treated, to receive professional and expert medical care!

Why else?
Why else indeed!

The answer is not so obvious! For some and increasingly for most people, it is, as we say: “to fulfil all righteousness”, to avoid public outrage or personal blame, if there happens to be any eventuality! They would say: “why didn’t you go the hospital?”

So we go the hospital looking for cure and what do we get? Bitter Pills- pun intended! You are served doses of poor treatment sometimes wrapped in sweet coated capsules and oftentimes in crude tablets depending on whether you go to a private clinic or a public hospital. But no matter where you go the tormentors in chief are the same: Nurses!

You are faced with the choice of either a competent but arrogant nurse or a pleasant but incompetent one!

Someone once wrote that: “Nurses are the Hospitality of the Hospitals”, that someone was definitely not a Nigerian because in Nigeria, hostility is the second nature of nurses.

In Public hospitals it is a crime to be sick and patients are irritants – a nuisance to the nurses. You don’t get any sympathy or empathy but anger. How dare you fall ill and come to trouble our dear matron and her crew of angry and sometimes sadistic nurses.

And the nurses ensure you feel the pain for disturbing them. When they draw blood, they draw it with vengeance, even, the search for a vein seems to be done with deliberate cruelty. When you go public hospitals you should ensure youput on a gown of patience and your illness must be patient, as well, as the nurses are never in a hurry to attend to you. So when you are conveying a patient to a public hospital there is no need to rush and driving erratically! The crowd is always there no matter the hour. And the crowd is always there waiting and waiting and waiting.

So many who have the choice and, of course, the means go to private hospitals looking for better care. And do they find it? Somewhat..!

At least the crowd is smaller, medical equipment better, the ambience nicer as the nurses disguise their irritation. After all, it is just a small irritation of distraction for them from watching Telemundo or African Magic channel. After all, these patients will be billed big money for the small irritation.

And what more do you get? Baby Doctors, apprentice nurses and all mighty visiting consultants! Having a consultant is crucial—consultant gynaecology, consultant paediatrician or consultant oncologist which adds to the profile of the hospital as well as to your bill. However, full time consultants are rare as most of them are part time consultants who have a fixed schedule. You are told that the patient you brought to the clinic has to be examined by a consultant:

“So when is the Consultant coming?”
“Friday”
“Friday? But today is Tuesday!!!!!”
“Sorry, he comes only on Fridays”

I wonder what Confucius would have said:” So, I have to wait till Friday but would the infection wait?

So come Friday and  here comes the all mighty Consultant, pleasant and jovial.  He checks the test results and the recommended treatment.
“hmmm, well, your BP is high”. (I didn’t know that),
“You need to cut down salt intake” (sorry google has already told me that).
He is a funny; he teases you about your favourite meal. What a pleasant man! Don’t get carried away wait until you see your bill to find out that the consultant’s pleasantries doesn’t come cheap. Come to think of it nothing is cheap in Private clinics. Unlike in public hospitals where they punish with rudeness and insults, here you are punished with high bills. If you are on admission, some hospital rooms are almost as expensive as 3-star hotel rooms. And for laboratory tests? It’s a cash cow for private clinics!

“Uncle, We didn’t see you”
“See me again, where”?”
“Our Clinic, You were supposed to come and  run more tests.
“Oh That? I am cured!
“How?”
“Cured by your Bills! The cost of your lab tests almost killed me”.

But who cares about cost when health and life are involved?

One would expect the quality of care to be good but alas..! You need more than money to get quality care, you need eternal vigilance, as well. Be on the lookout for doctors who would prescribe treatment without proper diagnoses, watch out for wrong dosage and mixed up lab results. Beyond being vigilant, one needs being a pseudo doctor with the help of Google! And you also need to ask Questions! Plenty questions! Enquire about everything! The drug name, has the blood been screened and for what? Ask for lab result! See the lab result yourself! Always be wise to seek a second opinion! Be fussy! Then you will get proper attention!

If only the men and women in white realise what they are doing has led to some many avoidable deaths in medical facilities, both private and  public, maybe they will be more professional.

Whether private or public hospitals, and even without data, many wouldn’t argue that the leading cause of death in hospitals could well be negligence and wrong diagnosis rather than disease conditions. Virtually everybody has a sad story to tell about Nigerian hospitals. Stories about failure to diagnose correctly mixed up lab results, delayed treatment, improper treatment, surgical errors and outright negligence.

There is no doubt that the medical facilities and care are far below expectation. Hospitals no longer inspire confidence and some people simply go hospitals as a last resort when they have ran out of options. Although poor infrastructure and equipment, fake and substandard drugs remain a key factor, the attitude and  lack of professionalism of medical personnel are a greater cause for concern. More and more, medical personnel are failing to perform the duty of care they owe their patients but you cannot completely blame them as the government and health facilities often fail to care for doctors too. Therefore, they are now accustomed to going on strikes to get even their basic needs met or their allowances paid. Any wonder, the few good Doctors are going the “Andrew” way on Nigeria and checking out in droves!

Of course, the patient is at the receiving end! Often a tragic end!
You would often hear:
“Sorry we lost him.”

Off they go!

The hospitals seem so used to patients dying that they don’t bother to examine cause of death or whether the correct line of treatment was administered.

Which government agency monitors, investigates or even keeps records of hospital deaths? Families of victims are often too traumatised to bother to seek justice even in cases of glaring negligence! Others resign themselves to the belief that it was God’s will! “The lord giveth and the Lord taketh…”

And so the carnage continues!

With increasing incidents of hospital negligence, one can’t help but ask if Nigerian Hospitals can truly be said to be healing centres or just simply, killing fields!