But for the signpost with the inscription, “Multicare Hospital and Women Welfare Centre”, placed in front of the uncompleted two-storey building at the Omagba phase one area of Onitsha, nothing suggests that the occupant is involved in health matters.
From the entrance to the building through the staircase, one is confronted with a blinding smell of drugs and medical wastes. Inside the rooms, the patients sweated profusely on top of creaky beds with torn mattresses.For lack of space, some of them lay on the stretcher, taking infusion by the staircase. Others writhing in pains from various degrees of injuries, spat intermittently to ward off the stench that pervaded the place. Before his visit to the hospital, Sunday Sun reporter had earlier, from the adjoining street, spottedsome persons peeping out from iron rod protectors on the secondfloor of the building. It was later gathered that they were patients detained by the owner of the hospital due to their inability to pay their medical bills. Sources stated that some of them have stayed in ‘captivity’ for nearly two years as they seek for ways of settling their bills and regain theirfreedom.
While in the illegal detention, they survive on pittances thrown up tothem by passersby and few others who muster courage to climb up the stairs to offer them something. To ensure that they do not escape, the Doctor fixed the iron rods on the windows and chained up the apartment with heavy padlocks. Only the nurses in the hospital are allowedto open the padlocks periodically when they want to pick up any medical devices on that floor. Pretending to be a benefactor who came to see a patient and alleviate the pains of some of those on admission, the reporter mingled with the ‘inmates’ and came out with chilling revelations as some of the patients told their stories.
Caged for life unless God intervenes
One of the detained patients, Afamefuna Mbachu from Umuchu in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State told Sunday Sun that he has stayed in the hospital for the past 14 months. He said itwas an accidental discharge from a gun fired by a security man at the old motor spare parts market in neighbouring Obosi town that landed him in the hospital. He saidafter some weeks of treatment hegot better but was given a bill of N297,000 and because he couldn’t offset his medical bill, the doctor said he should relinquish his bed for new patients.
Consequently, Afam was transferred upstairs to the awaiting payment detention centre. He and his colleagues in the same situation beg for alms from the caged iron protectors and they sleep on the bare floor under strict surveillance. Nnayelugo Chukwuemeka from Aguleri had another pathetic story. With one hand already amputated, he said he had an accident in Nassarawa state whileon a business trip and was brought down to the hospital in July 2012. He said he has an outstanding bill of N130,000 to pay and his family members had so far, made vain efforts to raise the money. Today, Chukwuemekasleeps on the bare floor in the hospital waiting for any Good Samaritan to help him go back home. For Nweke Friday, life everyday is an admixture of thanksgiving and pain. He is grateful that God allowed him to live again after a gun attack by armed robbers in October 2011. Though still walking with the aid of crutches, he said he has been sacked from the hospital bed and made to join the detainees since he could not pay his bills. The details of the bill which he showed Sunday Sun reporter included Admission fee- N1000, Accommodation fee-N25,000, Operation Fee1-N20,000; Operation fee 2-N55,000, Anesthetic fee- N10,000, Drugs-N111,910, Miscellaneous- N12,100, Crutch cast-N6,000 and Lab balance-N385. Total bill-N250,860 less deposit of N50,000. Balance – N200,860.
Another Ikoyi prison
Most of the patients that spoke to Sunday Sun had one complaint or the other about the condition of the hospital. Some complained of high medical bills while others talked about the poor sanitary condition and other facilities in the hospital. One of them who preferred anonymity summarized it thus: “This is more like another Ikoyi prison. The doctor in-chargeis an expert indeed in bone-related problems but I’m yetto find out what is wrong with him in the way he handles things. If you look around, you will see what I’m saying. All he knows is to give high bills, yet we can’t see where the money is going. “The man gives bills once you stayfor two weeks and when you delay after your discharge, he will charge you N950 daily. I’ve seen hell since I came. There are peoplehe gave a bill of about N1million and it took the entire village to settle the bill. We sleep on creaky beds with bedbug-infested foamsand sharing of beds is very common. People suffer terribly here because we stay in darknessmost of the times while the rooms are so small leading to serious sweating.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/doctor-turns-hospital-to-prison/

to be honest, i think we Africans have spare life, cos we can survive in any environment no matter how harsh it. and sometimes we treat each other the way lions treat leopards in the jungle.

How on earth do I relate to this?

israel007: How on earth do I relate to this?

And u re?

[-OMG-] the doctor must be into something more than dope.