ABYSMAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA

NB:This piece was written 2months ago

Some hours ago at about 10:25pm, 7th March, 2015 around Ijegun in Ikotun, Lagos, while driving along the Ijegun road, right in front of me, lets say 20m away, I saw a man being knocked down by a tricycle. Immediately after the accident I manoeuvred my way in order not to be caught in the rowdy scene I perceived would ensued but when I looked at my rear mirror I noticed that many people around the place avoided moving close to the victim of the accident.

To my greatest surprise the driver of the tricycle parked and rushed down while screaming and praying at the same time that God should save him from an act of murder. With sympathy and pity, I reversed my car close to the scene of the accident, park very well and alighted to see what help I could offer considering the fact that everyone was being careful to avoid unforeseen trouble. I moved closed to the victim right at the centre of the road, checked his pulse by his neck through the nerves and I noticed he was not breathing. The next thing I did was that I touched his chest and still he was not breathing but I observed that his body was warm and with this my instinct told me he still has life in him so, I embarked on a mouth-to-mouth respiration. I used the thumb and middle fingers of my left hand to force his mouth open and placed the palm of my right hand on his head and I breathe in and released the gas into him through his mouth. This was done for about ten times and at that moment people started coming with cold and warm water pouring on the victim and at the same time pouring on me too. After ten times with caution I noticed a fast and spontaneous response on his chest after which I shouted he is alive. 

I attempted lifting him by his back but he was very heavy for me because no one was ready to participate in the rescue mission to a hospital because of fear of the unknown. Not quite long a young man joined in the lifting and a particular tricycle parked close by and we lifted him in. I didn't put him in my car at the initial stage because I parked a bit far away from where he lied flat down. Someone held on to the young man that hit the victim and I later discovered that the person knew the victim because he called the victim by his name kazeem and I kept repeating kazeem into his hears till we got to the first clinic close to the scene of the accident but the nurses there told us that the Doctor was not around. We moved immediately to another hospital and this time the Doctor and nurses were around. We carried him in and placed on a bed within the hospital as directed by the nurse after which the Doctor came out and asked some questions. We responded by pointing to the person that hit him, the guy that knows his name and we that gave help. The Doctor also asked if he was bleeding and I pointed to the area he bleeds after the accident. After about 5minutes the Doctor told us that we need to carry him to a General Hospital and that the closest one being Igando General Hospital. I was also responsible for carrying the victim back into the vehicle but this time in my car to save time. 

We moved very fast to Igando General Hospital and on getting there we were told to place him on a bed outside the ward. The Doctor asked questions and I responded . The other people too gave explanation and I was told to pay N1,000naira which i requested for the reason and the answer was that they need buy something to save him. Afterwards i gave out the N1,000 to the nurse. The other helper too was told to go to the pharmacy to get some drugs which he paid for. Despite all these payment, we didn't know the victim.

After much ado, I washed my hands. few minutes later the Doctor said I should go and get card for records and when I pointed at probable area she directed me to some little water sprinkled on her body and she started shouting at me. Making some embarrassing comments as if I have poured faeces on her body. And immediately I told her she was embarrassing me because the victim is not known by me that I only helped as a Nigerian.

Few minutes later, after they finished passing drip on him, his breathings became pronounced and he started moving his hands and legs but still unconscious. I got the card and place on a table in the Doctor's office.

Not long after the administration of the drip we were told that the victim was not going to be admitted at Igando General Hospital because they had no bed space and they directed the security guards not to open the main gate for me because I need to carry the victim again to General Hospital Ikeja. On my part I got the victim's mobile phone from his pocket, inserted the sim in my phone and I called about three numbers on the line informing them of the situation and told them where the victim was. I had to tell the Doctor again that I am not in any way related to the victim that I needed to go and face my own business as time was against me. At that point I was tensed and angry and I asked them if they don't have an ambulance and they responded that there was none. So, I told them that this is a government establishment where life is supposed to be saved. We have done our part as a citizen and they should take it from there. So, I was allowed to go until the time I proved to them that they have no right to confined me within the hospital because I brought an accident victim.

In a nutshell, all through this experience, I observed a total collapse of the value of life in our society. It seems everyone is on his or her own in Nigeria. Its like in every strata of our lives as Nigerian, each and everyone of us need to be self sufficient in order to survive an ordeal such as this if it arises. Some how, I have kept asking, how can a hospital reject a victim.

How far can we go as a Nation if lives are not valued?

We must do things right!

The time is now!

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you,

Akande Akin Sanyaolu.
Director, Boldan Agro Ventures.