I had to post this because with the kinds of experiences I have had, I have come to lose trust in private hospitals and even my respect for young medics has really waned.

I will share three instances of my personal experiences with different hospitals.



1. My Little One was a bit down, and I was reluctant to take him to the family hospital in ikeja because it was a hot day so I saw a pharm at health plus who prescribed anti malaria drugs, ampiclox and multivitamins etc. I spend about one thousand five hundred naira getting the drugs.
But my MIL insisted we take him to the hospital even though he was already getting better the next day. Well, i took him down to our hospital and you wony believe I paid 2k for consultation. We went in to see d doc, and he asked a few questions like is it chest cough he has or is it throaty?( i was thinking...how wd i know. When ur d one wearing d stethoscope. Am i a doc to know types of cough? ) how is his temp. his appetite? doc didnt even check his eyes... i know that eye widening thing they do. He made it look like i was an over reacting mom.

After the q&a called consultation, he started scrawling in the prescription pad. I asked wnt u at least check the child? pls wat if something else is happening that isnt clear unless we check.
He said madam, additional check up will cost more money. So i shut up and collected d presc he wrote.
When i got there d lady asked me to pay 2000 naira and i did. She wrote me a receipt and i sat down. I waited 45 mins. My son was already sleepin. I asked the lady n she told me to calm down i will soon b attended to.
Just den,der messanger came in with a package and she just put it in d hospital bag and gave to me.

They were out of drugs. They went out to buy

What drugs?
paracetamol, vit c and bcomplex... D cheap brands o

And guess what... d chemists receipt was in d bag
It all cost 470 naira

I dnt mind consultation fee. But 2000 fr those drugs was extortion.

Medical attn is expensive, but i think some private hospitals take it too far.

You said three instances. Where are the others.
Also, please pipe down on the use of abbreviations. I dont even undestand most of the ones you used in this write up

Gmajor:
You said three instances. Where are the others.
Also, please pipe down on the use of abbreviations. I dont even undestand most of the ones you used in this write up

Im so sorry. Using my problematic phone is quite problematic. I will try my best tho

2. My mom fell in church, could not move her limbs. She had had a stroke. We rushed her to the private hospital said to b d best at treating strokes.

Before admitting mum, doctor charged us 50,000 naira, and we paid. She was admitted, placed on a drip. Catheter, and medications to regulate her bp. And that infra red light for massage. She was there for a week, but she wasnt given meals. We were bringing her fruits and veggies etc frm home.

The second week, no more drip, no more anything, they only check her bp, give her drugs etc. Mom was eager to go home that friday.
How much is our balance?
Another 50 000.

even tho even in the room, no tv, no lamp for when ders no light. I slept on the floor in her room, we went to pee using my phone torch at night.

We were very grateful mum was still alive that saturday wen we were going home, but we still had a lot of physiotherapy to do. We paid the money in full and headed home.

But... we expected follow up, we even went back to.d hospital, but he told us mum was well. Truth is if we knew d rigut things to do frm d on set and d doc adviced us properly, mum would have been much better.

3. This one is so funny. Notice my topic said some.... here ,theres story of d good and d bad.

I was in ota thru most of my pregnancy. So i had all my tests in my hospital's sophisticated lab. I paid about 3000 naira for my tests. Blood sugar, Blood test, scan... etc. i had my antenatal every tuesday. We paid 500 naira, i went in fr check ups. I formed a bond with my matron.

By the time i was 31 weeks, we relocated to Ikeja. Ofcourse, i cant travel all the way. For a first timer, I was anxious. I opted for the hospital closest to home.
I registered for 2000 naira, and then They rejected all my previous doctors reports and said i had to take new tests with dem. I was billed 20,000. My hubby couldnt believe it. The scan they did.even said.i was due on May 20 when i was looking at an edd of +-april 15 in my previous hospital.
I understand scans are not quite correct when d baby is already fully matured.

Well, the saturday i started feeling the first signs of labour, i ran to d hospital and doc said i shd go home and exercise. I did.

I went bak in the evening and told the nurse i was afraid and wanted to sleep ovr. She said d doc has gone to sleep n if i make him come down i would have to pay 5k for consultation. She evn reminded me they considered me and did free consultation in d morning.

Well... doc came, checked me after i paid 5K and even used me to teach d trainees on duty they all put in der finger n he said thats 2cm. God! i was ignorant. I thought it was normal. They asked me to come back in d morning.

I told my fam i wasnt comfortable with d hospital so d next morning we went to my previous hospital wher i had my baby.

I know patients can b terrible. But many private hospitals are money conscious.

Next three are instances of misdiagnosis

4. My lil bro had ear issues fr years. We were on hygeia health plan. Everytime he cried. We went to d hospital.... doc gives us artesunate and some vitamins.
we eventually went to d e.n.t. dept of that general hospital in ile epo. And thats where his condition was treated after 3 Years of back and forth

5. My sister usually has serious chest pains. We went to d same hospitl as above. Doctor gave her ulcer drugs n said if it works, its ulcer. If it doesnt, come back

6. This one is embarassing. When i was abt 14, i used to have worms in my stool. Very tiny, sometimes they even creep out when im asleep, eww.

Well... i told mum, she said u have jedi jedi. We went to d hospital. Same as above. I explained what was going on... the same drugs were given... antibiotics, artesunate, etc. Mehn. I took it religiously, but it didnt work. I had been obsessed with medicine and health since then. I read a lot of health magazines. Theres one called community doctor. They talk about natural treatments. Etc. I read there about how eating onion bulbs and garlics, basil plants etc could treat me.. and i did just tht. U dnt knw all the flat worm, pin worms, tape worms etc i expelled three days later in a potty. I have nevr had such issues evr since.

teechudleyy:
5. My sister usually has serious chest pains. We went to d same hospitl as above. Doctor gave her ulcer drugs n said if it works, its ulcer. If it doesnt, come back

Can identify with that, what gets me most is, those crazy docs still have d effrontery to look down their nose on u!

Argued with a corper doc recently, and he was making fun of foreign trained docs who tend to insist on lab tests b4 commencing treatment, and pple wonder why d death rate of hospital patients is still on d high side?!

ashjay001:


Can identify with that, what gets me most is, those crazy docs still have d effrontery to look down their nose on u!

Argued with a corper doc recently, and he was making fun of foreign trained docs who tend to insist on lab tests b4 commencing treatment, and pple wonder why d death rate of hospital patients is still on d high side?!

Thats d most painful part. The looking down on you like you dont know what you are talking about. It makes me reluctant to go to tye hospital.

I told a doctor i wanted to have a breast exam because i had a lump and he told me they only attend to women in their forties that i cant have cancer. I had to take myself to a lab.
They make u look like you are over reacting.
Yet they blame you for self medicating and waiting till the issue has gone out of hands before coming

teechudleyy:


Thats d most painful part. The looking down on you like you dont know what you are talking about. It makes me reluctant to go to tye hospital.

I told a doctor i wanted to have a breast exam because i had a lump and he told me they only attend to women in their forties that i cant have cancer. I had to take myself to a lab.
They make u look like you are over reacting.
Yet they blame you for self medicating and waiting till the issue has gone out of hands before coming

I never attended one day of medical school, yet I know matured ladies are suppose to have a breast exam, once a year. Just because u're a doc, ur say so is final!? Let just pray our health challenge won't pass their power, cos they would have to tell us its a spiritual attack?!!

ashjay001:


I never attended one day of medical school, yet I know matured ladies are suppose to have a breast exam, once a year. Just because u're a doc, ur say so is final!? Let just pray our health challenge won't pass their power, cos they would have to tell us its a spiritual attack?!!

I also dislike when smtn goes wrong and dey dont want to tell you in details claiming dey dnt want people to panic. You will see them running around while treating ur kin, and dey keep saying its nothing.

When i had my son , on tue second day we were still in tue hospital cos i had him by sectioning, a nurse came in to check on him and suddenly took him out. They put him on the drip and oxygen mask. We were asked not to touch him. Wen we went back fr his bcg nd the matron was telling her colleagues... is this nt the child u wanted us to refer to fmr, he is so healthy and bouncy.

I dnt know up until today, what happened to my son. I asked and asked. All dey say is... its nothing. Dont worry.

Also, they hate wen u seem to know too much. Some patients may be terrible tho... but honestly, a doctor should open up to a patient, and allow d patient to b aware of certain things. Not here in nigeria. Never.

teechudleyy:


I also dislike when smtn goes wrong and dey dont want to tell you in details claiming dey dnt want people to panic. You will see them running around while treating ur kin, and dey keep saying its nothing.

When i had my son , on tue second day we were still in tue hospital cos i had him by sectioning, a nurse came in to check on him and suddenly took him out. They put him on the drip and oxygen mask. We were asked not to touch him. Wen we went back fr his bcg nd the matron was telling her colleagues... is this nt the child u wanted us to refer to fmr, he is so healthy and bouncy.

I dnt know up until today, what happened to my son. I asked and asked. All dey say is... its nothing. Dont worry.

Also, they hate wen u seem to know too much. Some patients may be terrible tho... but honestly, a doctor should open up to a patient, and allow d patient to b aware of certain things. Not here in nigeria. Never.

I can be forceful sha. My 1st kid, they kept chasing us back, 5hrs later I'll be back. After 3 attempts(fri/sat), they gave us a room and I had to rub her back till monday mrn. 5 days later, I did a discharge on my own recommendation, after a whole week of jaundice treatment at eko hospital, surulere! Told them I had flourscent bulb at home, natural birth was already over a 100k(2009) and I never buy ram!

ashjay001:


I can be forceful sha. My 1st kid, they kept chasing us back, 5hrs later I'll be back. After 3 attempts(fri/sat), they gave us a room and I had to rub her back till monday mrn. 5 days later, I did a discharge on my own recommendation, after a whole week of jaundice treatment at eko hospital, surulere! Told them I had flourscent bulb at home, natural birth was already over a 100k(2009) and I never buy ram!

Ha... my God! lol! @flourescent bulb.
Imagine 100k are they saving us or killing us?

Honestly... that forcefulness is d truth. The only way sometimes to save urself

teechudleyy:


Ha... my God! lol! @flourescent bulb.
Imagine 100k are they saving us or killing us?

Honestly... that forcefulness is d truth. The only way sometimes to save urself

Abi, since d jaundice treatment involved putting him under a group of flourscent bulbs and checking his eye n body colouring at intervals. D sh_t went on for a week, and dey were still threatening another week of such! Abeg, I just borrow myself sense, my parents were also threatening all sorts of herbal bath.

Honestly this has to stop. Some doctors don't ve human heart. All they know is money

OP, you went to a private hospital without compulsion.

If you couldn't afford the consultation fees, you should have gone to a general hospital.

If you have no trust in your doctors, then there's no point going to the hospital.
You were asked if your child's cough was throaty, yet you're taking offence.

Who should know if not you or the grandma taking care of the child? Your doctor doesn't live with your child and he'll only act based on what you tell him.

ashjay001:


Abi, since d jaundice treatment involved putting him under a group of flourscent bulbs and checking his eye n body colouring at intervals. D sh_t went on for a week, and dey were still threatening another week of such! Abeg, I just borrow myself sense, my parents were also threatening all sorts of herbal bath.

Eeyah. Im sure he fared just fine without you paying one arm and one leg just to get through. when will family not threthen herbal when the medical way you so much believe in is drying you out ehn?

eyinjuege:
OP, you went to a private hospitals without compulsion.

If you couldn't afford the consultation fees, you should have gone to a general hospital.

If you have no trust in your doctor's, then there's no point going to the hospital.
You were asked if your child's cough was throaty, yet you're taking offence.

Who should know if not you or the grandma taking care of the child? Your doctor doesn't live with your child and he'll only act based on what you tell him.

Hello, self defensive much? What is the definition of a throaty cough? How do i successfully tell d definition of a throaty cough versus chest cough? i will only use my assumptions based on what i observe, knowing fully well thay d doctor has a much better knowledge than i do.

I never said i couldnt afford all the treatment. I never said they were all crappy. I have some very good friends who got me thru a lot. You canot shut me up by saying go take the alternative, nobody forced you. What is bad is bad.

It would be nice, that people get what they pay for in terms of a doctors attention. If u charge 5k for consultation, please treat me attend to me, dont just dismiss me like they would in a govt hospital.

Also... try and calm down. Its not your truth. Dont take things personal.

sodiamond:
Honestly this has to stop. Some doctors don't ve human heart. All they know is money

Some Doctors mantra is..." doctor too must chop na? And send our children to school. "

they like to proudly tell people they are doctors, they enjoy tue respect, but going all the way even for a patient that is willing to pay? Its very rare.

Not saying they are all bad o.
Many of them have experienced bad patients too. But honestly? Good doctors are far and few

teechudleyy:


Hello, self defensive much? What is the definition of a throaty cough? How do i successfully tell d definition of a throaty cough versus chest cough? i will only use my assumptions based on what i observe, knowing fully well thay d doctor has a much better knowledge than i do.

I never said i couldnt afford all the treatment. I never said they were all crappy. I have some very good friends who got me thru a lot. You canot shut me up by saying go take the alternative, nobody forced you. What is bad is bad.

It would be nice, that people get what they pay for in terms of a doctors attention. If u charge 5k for consultation, please treat me attend to me, dont just dismiss me like they would in a govt hospital.

Also... try and calm down. Its not your truth. Dont take things personal.

You are the one being defensive now aren't you? No one is shutting you up. What determines the overall cost of the treatment or services you receive in a place? I don't think you're in the position to decide how much you should be charged. Some hospitals take as much as 20000 for a consultation minus the medication that you're given.
I asked you to try a general hospital not because their services are crap, but rather because you don't pay for consultation, and you can always take the prescription you're given to any pharmacy of your choice thereby saving you costs. #5000 naira is not much and its less than £20 GBP, at the rate things are in Naija now, and that's very small money.
Now, worldwide healthcare is expensive, but in developed countries, their govt makes it a priority and spend an unimaginable amount of money just to provide services which may not even be utilised atimes. But it is still their responsibility to provide it cos you never can know when it might be needed.
In naija, its not a priority, and very very few citizens can afford a standard private hospital. Infact, I doubt if 5% of Nigeria's population can afford standard private hospital, but they are available.

N.B- You could have simply asked your doctor what he meant by a throaty/ chesty cough. A lot of folks with no medical background know what a chesty cough is BTW.
You could have just described the cough from your observations, especially in children as that may help with the diagnosis.

eyinjuege:


You are the one being defensive now aren't you? No one is shutting you up. What determines the overall cost of the treatment or services you receive in a place? I don't think you're in the position to decide how much you should be charged. Some hospitals take as much as 20000 for a consultation minus the medication that you're given.
I asked you to try a general hospital not because their services are crap, but rather because you don't pay for consultation, and you can always take the prescription you're given to any pharmacy of your choice thereby saving you costs. #5000 naira is much less than £20 GBP, at the rate things are in Naija now, and that's very small money.
Now, worldwide healthcare is expensive, but in developed countries, their govt makes it a priority and spend an unimaginable amount of money just to provide services which may not even be utilised atimes. But it is still their responsibility to provide it cos you never can know when it might be needed.
In naija, its not a priority, and very very few citizens can afford a standard private hospital. Infact, I doubt if 5% of Nigeria's population can afford standard private hospital, but they are available.

N.B- You could have simply asked your doctor what he meant by a throaty/ chesty cough. A lot of folks with no medical background know what a chesty cough is BTW.
You could have just described the cough from your observations, especially in children as that may help with the diagnosis.

I hear you. Im not against the charges. I am against the general response. If you are a doctor, in your practice, be exhaustive, dont just make conclusion. I made several instances of what makes me reluctant. Dont base your essays on just the first. Also... we all would go straight to the govt hospitals if not for the fact tht they are already packed full and you wait hours in line for treatment.

You say wordwide healthcare is expensive, thats why.dey made me pay 2000 for drugs they just went out to buy frm a chemist in my presence.

teechudleyy:
2. My mom fell in church, could not move her limbs. She had had a stroke. We rushed her to the private hospital said to b d best at treating strokes.

Before admitting mum, doctor charged us 50,000 naira, and we paid. She was admitted, placed on a drip. Catheter, and medications to regulate her bp. And that infra red light for massage. She was there for a week, but she wasnt given meals. We were bringing her fruits and veggies etc frm home.

The second week, no more drip, no more anything, they only check her bp, give her drugs etc. Mom was eager to go home that friday.
How much is our balance?
Another 50 000.

even tho even in the room, no tv, no lamp for when ders no light. I slept on the floor in her room, we went to pee using my phone torch at night.

We were very grateful mum was still alive that saturday wen we were going home, but we still had a lot of physiotherapy to do. We paid the money in full and headed home.

But... we expected follow up, we even went back to.d hospital, but he told us mum was well. Truth is if we knew d rigut things to do frm d on set and d doc adviced us properly, mum would have been much better.

Your mum had a stroke. That's a major event, she needed admission and she was admitted. However, you're not happy with the surrounding of the hospital. There are always other options/ hospitals with beautiful aesthetics which you could have taken your mum to. If you live in Lagos, you can try Reddinton, Roding, St Nicholas. They have quite nice rooms there. However, spending two weeks in a hospital after a stroke is not too long a stay, and at the rate of 25K per week is just dandy.
Meanwhile, your mum still needs regular follow up to monitor her bp, sugar levels and other things. People that have had a stroke before are at a higher risk of having another. The risk factor that caused the stroke in the first instance is probably still present.

@Eyinjuege im nit insisting on the charges. God knows. I carried myself to a private hospital fully aware of the charges. I dont expect that a doctor gives a person ulcer drugs after i have desctibed chest pains and then tell me... if it works its ulcer. If it doesnt, come back.

Apart from a patients description, arent there other physical tests that can be carried out? in order to ascertain d problem?

teechudleyy:
@Eyinjuege im nit insisting on the charges. God knows. I carried myself to a private hospital fully aware of the charges. I dont expect that a doctor gives a person ulcer drugs after i have desctibed chest pains and then tell me... if it works its ulcer. If it doesnt, come back.

Apart from a patients description, arent there other physical tests that can be carried out? in order to ascertain d problem?

The best test to diagnose an ulcer is an endoscopy. It's invasive, and has its own associated risk. It has to be done in an operating room, and its very very expensive. I think it may cost at least 70k.
Now, in Naija, doctors always have to consider costs when dealing with patients.
There are different things that may cause chest pains, the site of the chest pain is also equally important. Certain questions you ask will help you to determine the cause. In fact, in medicine it's believed that 80-90% of your diagnoses should be made on asking patients questions and examinations alone, and the remaining 10-20% confirmed by your investigations. A good history/questioning goes a long way.

eyinjuege:


The best test to diagnose an ulcer is an endoscopy. It's invasive, and has its own associated risk. It has to be done in an operating room, and its very very expensive. I think it may cost at least 70k.
Now, in Naija, doctors always have to consider costs when dealing with patients.
There are different things that may cause chest pains, the site of the chest pain is also equally important. Certain questions you ask will help you to determine the cause. In fact, in medicine it's believed that 80-90% of your diagnoses should be made on asking patients questions alone, and the remaining 10-20% confirmed by your investigations. A good history/questioning goes a long way.

Thank you so much for this explanation. Ofcourse, i wouldnt want to undergo an endoscopy simply because i complained of a recurrent chest pain. From my lay mans point of view though... The girl eats well, and even because of my moms special diet, we all follow a conscious meal plan and the doctor knows this. I would wonder, what causes ulcer? Is it not imbalance in stomach digestive fluids? Maybe shes been taking ibruprofen, or the likes of aspirin or hunger?

. Also... how was he able to extrapolate ulcer from all other possible sympthoms a chest pain might carry.?

im happy you said a good history and questioning. Because i believe that means virtually what i am talking about. Listen to my complaints, dnt discard any discomfort i mention however useless they may seem. Ask questions and make sure im telling the truth. Dnt just b flippant. dont discard my observations maybe because i dnt knw how to describe them well.
Thats d painful part.

teechudleyy:


Thats d most painful part. The looking down on you like you dont know what you are talking about. It makes me reluctant to go to tye hospital.

I told a doctor i wanted to have a breast exam because i had a lump and he told me they only attend to women in their forties that i cant have cancer. I had to take myself to a lab.
They make u look like you are over reacting.
Yet they blame you for self medicating and waiting till the issue has gone out of hands before coming

I spoke about a general hospital the other time, you felt I was trying to say you can't afford private hospital. No doctor wiil tell you to go away with a lump on your breast. In a general hospital, you'll be referred to the appropriate clinic- surgical clinic.
Its even in private hospital that they'll be eager to treat you,ump as that's surgery, and more money for them. They'll also answer you speedily compared to a general hospital as they have fewer patients.
Now I want you to check the hospitals you've been going to, because you said you had a lump on your breast, you were not examined to see if its there or not and then you were simplybsent home because you're a youngvlady and not likely to have cancer. That's dangerous practice, try and go to hospitals that you are sure that most of their doctors can be verified which includes general hospitals

I think the problem a lot of Naija doctors have is poor communication with their patients.
Patients too also need to be informed and learn to actively participate in their treatment.

eyinjuege:


I spoke about a general hospital the other time, you felt I was trying to say you can't afford private hospital. No doctor wiil tell you to go away with a lump on your breast. In a general hospital, you'll be referred to the appropriate clinic- surgical clinic.
Its even in private hospital that they'll be eager to treat you,ump as that's surgery, and more money for them. They'll also answer you speedily compared to a general hospital as they have fewer patients.
Now I want you to check the hospitals you've been going to, because you said you had a lump on your breast, you were not examined to see if its there or not and then you were simplybsent home because you're a youngvlady and not likely to have cancer. That's dangerous practice, try and go to hospitals that you are sure that most of their doctors can be verified which includes general hospitals

Thank you. Thats what I did July last year and Im grateful to God I took that decision. If i didnt have a friend who died of bone cancer a few years back. Maybe I would be careless enough to ignore like he said. Eversince, I have been very careful about the doctors I talk to.

Also... i have been very careful of mentioning hospital names. That particular hospital is very big in Ikeja . People have a lot of confidence in it. If ur not going to general, they tell you ur okay there.

eyinjuege:
I think the problem a lot of Naija doctors have is poor communication with their patients.
Patients too also need to be informed and learn to actively participate in their treatment.

Yassssss! Doctors can easily evaluate a patient and determine if dey r oversabi or over emotional and decide how much they let them in on. Just carry them along. Doesn't strictly mean full disclosure.

I am a doctor and I have to admit a whole lot of us have a God complex, we don't take our ime to explain to patients what their problem is qnd what we are doing about it and that upsets a lot of our patients. I was involved in medical education at both undergrad and post graduate level and I find it amusing that during exams the first thing students do is introduce themselves and ask the patients permission to touch them, yet a few years down the line act as if they are doing patients a favour. I always told my residents that any patient in hospital is scared and slightly confused it's our job to allay their fears and calm them down.

eyinjuege:


Your mum had a stroke. That's a major event, she needed admission and she was admitted. However, you're not happy with the surrounding of the hospital. There are always other options/ hospitals with beautiful aesthetics which you could have taken your mum to. If you live in Lagos, you can try Reddinton, Roding, St Nicholas. They have quite nice rooms there. However, spending two weeks in a hospital after a stroke is not too long a stay, and at the rate of 25K per week is just dandy.
Meanwhile, your mum still needs regular follow up to monitor her bp, sugar levels and other things. People that have had a stroke before are at a higher risk of having another. The risk factor that caused the stroke in the first instance is probably still present.

Ma'am... once again... i said some. We arent in lagos. Hospitals shd av standards and as grateful as i was fr the 50000 per week... not 25000, they didnt equip us with enough info as per her follow up. It wasnt until months later we met with other doctors, and we were told the right steps we should have taken immediately..

This follow up u mentioned was my complaint. They didnt tell us anything. All they cared fr was dat 50k per week is just dandy. If we werent conscious and concerned, she mught have deteriorated and probably never gone back to normal.