Yesterday I went to visit my friend’s wife whose baby was at the children’s emergency ward in luth (baby was born at 7 months) and I realized how neglected the nigerian healthcare system has been thrown into. While waiting for baby’s mother, my wife looked into the ward and called me to come and look at the baby’s in the incubator. I was surprised at how small they were and in particular I was shocked to see a tiny baby no bigger than my palm in one of the incubators. I had never seen a sight like this before and I doubt if I will forget.

We were joined by my friends wife and her senior sister who was with her in the hospital and as I listened to what she had been thru with her husband and things that happened in the hospital, I felt a sense of sorrow for us in this country.

She gave birth prematurely a week from yesterday and her husband with her sister had to carry the baby in the middle of the night to luth for proper care. The doctor warned them not to expose the child to any breeze and they had to drive with windows wound up and sweating profusely to reach luth. Even with this, they still had to wait for 2 days before the child could be placed in an incubator because there was none available when they arrived at the hospital.

There began a battle to save the baby’s life with blood test being carried out daily. The incubator at times had to be tapped just to be sure that the baby was still breathing. A particular incident happened during the week when the baby stopped breathing and the mother thought the baby was gone but my friend kept saying that his daughter will not die and to the glory of GOD, they did the naming ceremony yesterday.

The baby is still being observed at the hospital but I found out that, premature babies are being brought to the children’s ward on a daily basis and they have to wait several days in some cases just to get an incubator and even an oxygen tank for the babies. Woe unto any baby brought to the hospital without the parents having money to pay for the machine or the drugs as they will not be attended to. Of particular instance was a baby brought there and unattended to who died before the father came back with the money he went to source for. You also have situations where you need to start looking for blood donors, you have parents/relatives sleeping on the corridors of the hospital praying and hoping that their love ones come out alive. There are a lot of sad stories as well as few happy ones in the children’s emergency ward in luth but I left there yesterday weeping internally because as rich as this country is, our healthcare is nothing to write home about.

I prayed that God should put me in a position where I will be able to provide enough incubators and oxygen’s to the children’s ward in luth.

The situation you described is not peculiar to Children Ward at LUTH. It's a common scenario at ALL government hospitals (state or federal) I've been to in Lagos. Patients troop to these hospitals because of availabilty of specialists and they end up having their hands too full, consequences of which is what you've experienced! Unfortunately several lives are lost on a daily basis which could otherwise have been spared if the hospitals had fewer patients that their equipment could cater for/wards could accommodate. 

Last week, a friend who felt surgery is safer in a government hospital  was   booked for February 2009  because all the other days before then had been booked already.  The generator  is being overused because of epileptic power supply and many times emergency cases override existing appointments (which means my friend's surgery may eventually take place in May!)  You can imagine if the ailment is such that can kill her before the appointed date. Needless to say that helpless patients in turn resolve to arranging to visit the doctor in his private clinic (afterall na di same doctor) and we all know what that means


The last time I was at General Outpatient Clinic at LASUTH, come and see people!!! Even though there were about 5 doctors attending to patients at the same time, I did not leave until 2.30 or thereabout. Because of the long queue, doctors are usually in a hurry to finish with each patient and they sometimes don't do proper diagnosis.

What is the solution? Honestly I don't know. Lagos State Government is trying its best in the area of health care . However,  it's best is not good enough. I wish those who chose to donate money towards Obama's election success could do similar thing to improve the condition of our government hospitals. :

titilaelae:


I wish those who chose to donate money towards Obama's election success could do similar thing to improve the condition of our government hospitals. :

i wish so too,
The best one can do is to pray that our loved ones do not fall into the situation where we have to rely solely on government hospitals for treatment.

aww poor child,
what a pathetic situation, if only the govt would care a little about our hospital, life could at least be buoyant somewhat for the masses

afterall a healthy nation is a wealthy nation

The best one can do is to pray that our loved ones do not fall into the situation where we have to rely solely on government hospitals for treatment.

Its not as if treatment is completely free there nah. The major reason why most people go there for treatment is the availability of specialists/experts/sophisticated equipment which is lacking in many private hospitals. Here in Nigeria, when a gynaecologist establishes his own private clinic, he will still be attending to  patients with cancer, diabetes, and other ailments not so relevant to his field. But in a government hospital you will always be referred to the appropriate department/doctor where your specific ailment can be best treated. 

Besides, have you heard of private hospitals owners who are fetish  so that they will have patients? I know of 2 who are well known in their neighbourd for diabolically provoking accidents along the road they are located so that victims will be brought to them for treatment!!!

However, there are still well equiped and well meaning private hospitals but you've got to be pretty loaded to pay their bills .

These and many other reasons are such that make people patronise government hospitals in spite of the torment they go through before they receive treatment. 

Now I say 'Amen' to Jinix' prayer that we won't have cause to solely rely on government hospitals for treatment.  I also hope with Cemcykul that government will do much more in providing better healthcare services. In addition, NGOs, religious bodies and individuals can do something to support this call. Honestly when my money comes, that is the kind of place I'D love to sow. So help me God

titilaelae:

Honestly when my money comes, that is the kind of place I'D love to sow. So help me God

and so help me God too. Amen