It was a pathetic event Yesterday. One of the students in my faculty suddenly collapsed and became unconscious. The school health centre had to refer us to the Accident & Emergency Unit of OAUTHC, Ile-Ife. I joined four other student executives in the ambulance as we sped of.
Barely, few minutes to the Emergency Unit, there was a huge traffic on the road. Incredibly, it was presumably a funeral party hosted by one high political chieftain in the community. Cars blocked the one-lane road on all sides. Even with the whirring of the siren, we spent over 20 minutes before we found a way amidst the heavy traffic. I wondered, how on earth would the hospital roads be blocked because of a party. I marveled. We had no option but to come down from the ambulance to ward the traffic.
The lady lying helpless in the ambulance was already looking lifeless as the drip passed into her vein was almost getting exhausted. We spent about 30 minutes on a route that shouldn't take more than 7 minutes. All because some persons were politically celebrating their dead.
On getting to the Emergency Ward, we spent another 10 minutes making a file for the unconscious lady. The 'abiku' personnel in charge insisted that without a file, no doctor will attend to her. We were also asked to proceed to the NHIS office to complete the registration. Unfortunately, the NHIS office was under lock and key. Maybe, they've closed for the day. Who knows?
The nurse who followed us from the University Health Centre suggested that we (faculty executives)should contribute money to buy drugs as nothing could be done to help her. This got us mad and we insisted that a First Aid treatment be given to her, seeing her critical state. Her heartbeat was getting slower. I couldn't believe my ears, when a nurse asked me, "Where is her glove?" Do I look like a doctor? How would you ask me for a glove? Oh! If there are no gloves available, she won't be treated? Is that the new NMA directives? Indeed, our doctors are sick. The drama I witnessed today showed that apart from the theoretical university degrees, most of our health experts are as empty as the oxygen cylinders in OAUTHC.
Almost an hour that she went unconscious, all we witnessed was both traffic and professional insanity. Is that why the mortuary is located next to the Emergency Unit? Our health experts are fast becoming 'mico-buharis'. Probably, many precious lives have been lost due to this topnotch madness in the hospital. Enough is enough! We cannot continue making lives more miserable for ourselves, yet praying for Nigeria.
By Kingsley Ndimele
President, Department Of Agricultural Economics
And how's the lady's health?😦
ReplyDeleteThis guy wrote to blame the doctors. The medical practitioners in Nigeria are not to be blamed but the poor governmental and educational system we have in this country.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, how is she??
How long are we going to keep blaming the government? If any of them had any sympathy whatsoever for the girl or if it was one of their children, trust me the case would be different. Students dying is not a big deal to these health centres and teaching hospitals anywhere and the only person who can take care of you is you, nobody cares.. So please as students we should try to do everything within our reach so our lives do not become dependent on other people cause in the end you'll only be truly missed by the people who sent you to school .
DeleteMr. Fortunate, The blame should be not only on the doctors but every medical personnel in the hospital. I've had to read on this platform, about a pharmacy part 4 student who died earlier this year, as a result of this same attitude they gave the girl. Our health system needs an overhaul, including the education system.......hell! The whole country should be overhauled. Let's not pretend that things are fine when they aren't.
ReplyDeleteOverhaul! Overhaul!!
ReplyDeletePlease Let's get some discipline as individuals, enough of this "system overhauling" we all like to hide under. Everybody is to be blamed. Our bad roads, politicians who live like gods, poor health cafe delivery, the civil servants that prefer to watch African magic all day, the friends who couldn't come together to make available some funds. You. Me. Everyone.