Today I’m very angry. For the first
time, I am not angry with our leaders but I am angry with YOU. Yes you. I am
angry with every single Nigerian youth. We are the leaders of today and not
tomorrow. We can drive change and cause change with a common voice however, we are
all too concerned with our #goals which include making the #forbeslist, etc etc.
Let me burst your bubble, if we don’t do something about the Healthcare sector in
our country, you will not be able to make the #forbes list. We are all living
on the Grace of God in this country. God forbid there is a medical emergency.
I read Ekene’s story below and it
brought tears to my eyes. It also reminded me of an event that happened two
years ago. My mum had a seizure/stroke and my dad rushed her to the hospital.
She needed to have an MRI scan done immediately but in the whole of Ikeja,
there were no scans working. I called a friend of mine who is a doctor and she
made some calls and told us that there were only two scans working in Lagos,
one in Lekki and one in a hospital in Apapa. We drove to Apapa and were told
that we had to pay a deposit of N1million before they attended to my mum. To
cut a very long story short, let me just say that it is the grace of God that
my mum is alive today.
I remember also about 3-4 years
ago, I visited a general hospital in GRA, Ikeja. Let me just say that the
matrons, there are treated like gods. You literally have to greet them like you
are greeting the president or your aged grandmother before they attend to you. There
were people who had been there as early as 6am, to get in line to be attended
to, many of them would not be attended to and would have to return the next
day.
How many have to die before we
wake up from slumber? On social media we praise people who have either stolen
our wealth themselves or the wealth was stolen through their spouses or fathers/mothers.
We celebrate them and we turn them into mini celebrities.
I applaud Ekene, for being bold
enough to share his story. I pray that this would be the catalyst to change in
our health care sector.
THE DEATH CAMPS CALLED GOVERNMENT
HOSPITALS IN NIGERIA.
I didn’t how bad our public health
sector is until after a very painful sojourn at 2 Government hospitals
recently. It still feels like a nightmare and I wish someone would just pinch
me out of this trance. I would like to share my experience of the longest 3
days of my life.
I love my dad. He’s not only been my
first hero but someone that has played a significant role in my little success
in life. Like most dads if not all, he’s not perfect and I have learnt from his
mistakes too. My dad’s health had deteriorated in recent times. He wasn’t
breathing well anymore and someone had informed my mum there was a specialist
at The Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). I rushed him over there from
General Hospital, Ikorodu that had been a disaster with their services after
one night there. On the way, I still remember my dad contemplating stopping by
at the house first or going straight to the hospital. Little did we know.
We arrived at the ‘MEDICAL
EMERGENCY’ ward of the hospital. I observed that the matrons were like gods
there. They moved at their own pace and you dared not challenge them. You had
to be extra nice if you wanted to be listened to. I doubt if any of them
understood the meaning of the word ‘emergency’. My dad was hardly breathing at
this time and I just wanted him to be attended to. He was finally given a bed
after about an hour and a consultant doing a ward round came to examine him
about an hour or two after. A doctor from the ear, nose and throat (ENT)
department also came to examine him as his was a respiratory problem. You could
see he struggled to breathe and you could hear him breathing from a distance.
The doctors had agreed that they had to have a tracheotomy on my dad to ease
his breathing. The consultant asked to carry out some series of tests while the
ENT doctor asked for a CT Scan from a particular diagnostic lab outside the
hospital at Oshodi even though there were places closer where we could have it
done. He tried frantically to get us there but it was on a Sunday and they were
closed till Monday. He later gave us a form designed by the lab with their
letterhead and his name as referral. My dad was placed on Oxygen. He was
clearly in pain.
I arrived at the hospital before 7am
the next morning to see that everything was done as soon as possible so he
could come out of the pain he was going through. I realized I had a couple of
papers in my hands, handed to my mum by one of the doctors for the tests but
was at a loss at what next to do. I kept asking questions and walking around,
as that was the only way to get things done. It saddened my heart that quite a
number of patients couldn’t afford to pay for these tests and you had to pay for
them before it could be done for the doctors to diagnose you. None of them was
free except for the HIV test. I needed to also take my dad for the CT scan, so
one of the doctors wrote to book for one of the ambulances to take him there as
it was a policy that no patient on admission could leave the hospital without
the hospital ambulance taking the patient. We booked for it at 7am. When going
for a CT scan of the Neck and chest like my dad was billed for, the patient is
not supposed to eat or drink anything before it’s done.
I had seen the different state
governors launching lots of ambulances so I was certain we would get one as
soon as possible. The first reality hit me when I heard they didn’t have enough
ambulances in the hospital and that it may take a while before the ambulance
could get to our turn, as there was a list of other patients that also needed
it. Only one ambulance service was available. In fact, one of the patients had
booked for one since Saturday (2 days before). What made it worse was the fact
that even though they didn’t have an ambulance to take a patient in pain, from
the emergency ward for some very important tests that is needed for a
procedure, we were also not allowed to bring in an ambulance to take him out
because it was against the hospital policy. I couldn’t believe my ears as I
watched my dad in pain. The doctors told me there was nothing they could do
till we had done all the tests. They also could not do anything about the
policy as it came from above. The diagnostic center even had ambulances and
nurses but was not allowed to come pick patients. I had been on my feet all
day.
I finally got one at about 3:30pm
but by this time, he had eaten and the lab wouldn’t do the test. The hospital,
which said that they make a nurse accompany the patient, did not get a nurse to
go with us. They got someone they call a ‘Facilitator’ whose job is to help you
with information concerning the hospital procedures, to go with us. She didn’t
even stay with my dad but sat in front with the driver. Even the blood samples
could not be taken, as I couldn’t get the doctor on duty to come extract it
from him. The doctor showed up in the evening and could not collect the blood
samples as it was only done earlier in the day. That was how the whole day
passed by and we achieved nothing but watch my dad in pain even though I had
spent the whole day on my feet trying to get the health workers to do their
job. I had paid for all the tests and the procedure as well, yet could not get
any service. I had to make friends with the ambulance driver and begged him to
come early the next day so that we could go for the CT scan then.
I arrived the hospital earlier the
next morning (10th of May, 2016), not knowing it would be the longest day of my
life. I begged a doctor to help take the blood samples and took them to the
labs myself. I went to the ambulance office and stayed there till they got fuel
for the ambulance. It was a period of fuel scarcity. I had begged my dad not to
take any water or food, as we wanted to make sure nothing would impede the
procedure. As a 68-year-old man, I knew it was difficult for him but we were
ready. We finally made it to Oshodi for the CT scan. My dad had been on oxygen
all the while as that was the only way he could breathe. I also pleaded with
the workers at the blood labs to hurry so the results could be out on time. We
were ready by 2pm for the operation. The HOD of the ENT department had come in
to examine my dad earlier in the day, as was upset that they waited that long
to perform the procedure after seeing him in so much pain. He asked why they
were asking for a scan first for such an emergency when that was just the first
in a series of procedures to get him healed. At this time, all I wanted was to
get it done with and see my dad free. The HOD was going to take part in
the operation. After waiting for a while for the theatre to be ready, he left
at about 5:30pm and asked the other doctors to go on with it. The doctors had
given us a long list of materials they would need for the surgery, which we
bought. Nothing was left out. You would hear that health care is free for the
elderly and children in Lagos State hospitals. NOT TRUE. You pay for everything
to the very last pin.
The theatre didn’t send for my dad
till 8pm. My dad had not eaten the whole day. I still remember him begging us
to give him a little water that day. We kept pleading with him to hold on. I
had stood at the entrance of the theatre from 3pm waiting for someone to come
pick my dad. The doctors finally sent someone with a stretcher on wheels and to
my utter dismay; he is a cleaner at the hospital. It didn’t mean much to me at
this time, as all I wanted was my dad in the theatre. The cleaner was even
chatting with a friend on the way. I wondered if it meant anything to him that
he was going to pick a patient at the emergency ward that had been waiting the
whole day. The Medical Emergency ward had two entrances and the one that had a
path leading to other buildings in the hospital was locked. It took the guard a
while to get it open. To make it worse, he was coming to pick someone who had
been on oxygen, without an oxygen tube. He was to be accompanied by a nurse
from the emergency ward, but there was none available even when he was being
put on the stretcher. When we were ready to move him to the theater, the nurse
was busy chatting with her colleagues. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My dad was
without an oxygen mask, as we had to rush him to the theater to get him back on
oxygen.
As we arrived the theatre, the
cleaner dumped my dad by the side and yelled in Yoruba “I have brought the
patient”. We were not allowed to go beyond a barrier but we could see further.
It took the matrons about 3 minutes to come out. I pleaded with them that he
had just been brought out of oxygen and needed to be back on oxygen. They
laughed at me and one of them mockingly labeled me a ‘junior doctor’. The other
matron then said we had to pay. I told her I had paid for it at the ENT ward
but didn’t have a problem with that as I had my ATM card with me but needed my
dad in. She then looked at him and said “oh! He even has beards. How do you
expect us to operate on him with the beards?” (He hadn’t shaved for the few
days in which his health had deteriorated.) And how were we supposed to know
that? She then asked us to go look for shaving sticks at that time of the
night. My brother had to dash out to search for shaving sticks to buy. At this
time, my dad was just left by the side like a piece of meat. I quickly went to
pay for the procedure. After my brother made it back with the shaving sticks,
they started shaving him and even said the shaving sticks were not sharp. He
had to go look for another set of
shaving sticks while they just ignored my dad. The nurse that accompanied us
from the emergency ward was just observing and couldn’t even make a case to get
him on oxygen.
He was later wheeled in for the
operation. We really felt relieved. “Finally” we all said to ourselves. After a
few minutes, one of the doctors rushed to us and said they would not be able to
go ahead with the operation anymore. We were all in shock and wondered what had
happened. He said that his oxygen level had gone very low and that he was too
weak to have the operation. At this point, we just couldn’t believe our ears.
My brother and I rushed into the theatre. They wheeled him out and again,
without oxygen. One of the doctors then asked the matron in charge of the
theatre for a mobile oxygen cylinder for him to use on his way back to the
emergency ward. Her response was “which one did you bring when you were coming?
Please excuse me”. They asked the cleaner to take my dad back to the emergency
ward. One of the assistants almost broke my dad’s hand as he wheeled him out
whilst talking and not concentrating, my dad’s hand had stuck to the door and
he didn’t realize it. I wished someone would wake me up from this nightmare but
it was my reality like that of a lot of Nigerians.
By the time we got back to the
emergency ward, the door was locked and we got upset as we were rushing to get
him back on oxygen. We asked the gateman to please hurry up and he even started
ranting before he went to get the key. By the time we got in to where his bed
was he had run out of oxygen and passed on. That was when the nurses and doctors
started rushing to try to resuscitate him. They brought an oxygen mask and
started administering CPR but it was too late. My mum had suddenly become a
widow and my siblings and I; fatherless. We just lost our esteemed father who
died like he was nothing when he meant the whole world to us and other people.
It’s painful losing a husband and
father, but what hurts more is the way we lost him. The hospital treated him
like a piece of rubbish. My experience at LASUTH is one I would never forget. I
saw more people at the wards die in my 3 days than I had seen in my whole 38
years on earth. People died like it was in fashion. I would never forget a
little boy who was constantly in pain as his parents watched helplessly. I
would go to meet the nurses to please come attend to him and they would say I
shouldn’t mind him. I arrived that Tuesday morning to hear he had passed on. I
later heard all he needed was a blood transfusion and his parents couldn’t
afford it but our politicians are carting away billions. The nurses and matrons
are constantly rude to patients and would even yell at them sometimes. I can’t
remember the number of times I went to remind them that the drip of a patient
was finished and needs to be changed. They were mainly good at chatting with
themselves at a corner were they sat all the time. For crying out loud, this is
an emergency ward with the bold inscription at the entrance ‘MEDICAL EMERGENCY’
but they hardly treated anything as such. This is a profession where 5 seconds
could be a lot of time. If some people had 5 seconds they could have been alive
today. But they have no idea how important time is in saving lives. A lot of
those deaths only happened because those people lived in Nigeria. Yea! That was
their only crime. This is the reason the government officials in Nigeria send
their kids to school abroad and travel outside the country to treat a headache.
We need a real CHANGE.
During the 3 days I spent there, I
observed a lot of things. I could understand that some of their departments are
understaffed and they didn’t have some of the funding they require. I can
completely understand that. But what does it take to show care? Just to care
like they are supposed to. When you care for people, it shows in your actions.
These people took an oath to save lives in their profession but are doing the
opposite. That is not to say I did not see or notice one or two nurses and
doctors who gave their all and were very professional and polite as they did
their job but it’s difficult to see their good efforts in a sea of wickedness.
And with time, some of them are either frustrated out or forced to join in the
neglect of care. The hospital has a team known as the monitoring team who as
supposed to monitor all these things but they are just as bad. All they do is
simply join the matrons and nurses and gist away. They should all be fired in
my opinion as they barely do anything.
My father’s name was Peter Ezekolie
Mekwunye. But this article is not just about my dad. I already lost him and
sadly cannot bring him back. But thousands of other dads and other people would
be visiting these hospitals. Are we going to allow the same thing to happen to
them? It’s also not just about me fighting LASUTH as you can see from my
heading that it happens in all government hospitals. As a matter of fact,
LASUTH has one of the ‘best’ services for a government hospital and because the
family did all we could, my dad got a lot more service than the average patient
gets. So if this could still be happening, you can begin to imagine the
decadence in our health sector and what it’s like in many government hospitals.
I observed a few issues and
bottlenecks in the operations of the hospital and based on my professional and
personal experience, I would like to give some recommendations that could help
reduce the number of casualties in our government hospitals.
1.
Re-orientation in the health sector
One of the first things I realized
was that death didn’t mean a thing to the doctors and nurses there anymore.
This includes the gatemen, cleaners and all the workers. Their hearts have
become hardened as they see these things happen on a regular basis. They need a
re-orientation. I cannot understand how for the love of God, people in the
business of savings lives can be this callous and unmoved.
2.
Creation of a Quality Assurance Unit
There should be a unit that would be
known to all patients as they come in where they can provide feedback on the
quality of professionalism received nurses, matrons or any health worker. The
health workers have their nametags on their uniforms and can easily be
identified. The body that would handle the disciplinary actions should the
health personnel be found wanting, should not be purely staff of the hospitals
or else they would not be fair. If employees know they would be punished or
sacked for such actions, they would change their attitude. This would be backed
up, by proper training for them on how to relate with patients. They really
need it and those that refuse to learn would have to leave the system.
3.
Investigations on death cases in the
hospital
Every death should be thoroughly
investigated. If the nurses and doctors know that they can get fired or even go
to prison for death of any patient caused by negligence on their part, they
would change their ways. None of all those deaths I saw was investigated. They
just move on like nothing happened. This has to stop and proper experts in the
field should be able to ascertain the causes. I know it’s a law to investigate
deaths but it never happens. We have to take this serious.
4.
Review of policies to ensure
operational efficiency
The hospital has to realize that
time is of essence when it comes to emergencies and if they can’t provide
enough ambulances, should allow other ambulances render services to this
patients to help save their lives. The diagnostic center even had ambulances
but was not allowed to pick patients up from the hospital.
5.
Effective Monitoring
There has to be a proper monitoring
team at every level. At the wards and theaters to see that procedures are
properly done and everyone is doing their job, as they should.
6.
Inter-departmental Collaboration
There was no synergy between the
different departments. E.g. the Medical emergency ward, the ENT department and
the theatre. Each one played God when it came to their departments without
realizing that if one failed, it would affect the others. Lives are constantly
being played with every day and they have to learn to value lives. I also strongly
recommend they hire an operations management expert to help with the system
flow, as synergy is very important.
7.
Effective Leadership
Most, if not all the Chief Medical
Directors are appointment based on their academic qualification and papers
written. It takes much more than that to run an organization. They have to be
chosen based on their leadership and organizational skills because at that
level is about how you work with people. If our government hospitals were made
to work with only funds they generate, they would realize that these patients
are customers and they would treat them better.
8.
Failure in oversight functions
The Senators, House of Rep members,
State House of Assemblies, Minister of Health and all the commissioners of health
must also share in this blame. They have oversight functions and their lapses
are partly responsible for these deaths. Everyone has to wake up to his or her
responsibilities.
I miss my dad a lot. He was a fun
loving person. He was fearless and always stood for the truth. He always wanted
to help and had a heart of Gold. He was a footballer as a youth and loved to
watch football till he lost his sight about 5 years ago. But he still loved to
discuss it. We argued a lot about football. He was a Chelsea FC fan.
These past few days have been my worst. I smile at times but there are buckets
of tears behind that smile. I can’t imagine what every 23rd of
December would be like for my siblings and me as we have spent every one of
them celebrating his birthday. I can’t fight for him anymore but I can, for
many others. We can’t continue losing people because a few others refused to do
the job they are paid to do.
We call on the senate committee on
health to please address these issues urgently and the Minister of health and
all the commissioners of health in all the states to rise to this challenge.
This is the kind of change we need.
We would like others who have
suffered similar fatality or support the cause to join in the conversation till
something is done about it across the nation. Please use the hash tag #valuenigerians
to start a discussion and share your own story on our social media handles on Facebook
(Value Nigerian), twitter (@valuenigerians) and Instagram
(Valuenigerians) so that we can drive the numbers to
cause a change.
Also Kindly visit our website www.valuenigerians.org
to share your story and pictures.
Written by Ekene Som Mekwunye.
Ekene is an award winning filmmaker
and an Executive MBA student at the Lagos Business School, PAU. He is based in
Lagos, Nigeria.
E:
ekenemekwunye@yahoo.com, T: @ekenem I:
Ekenemekwunye
