harlos: nobody pray to find his/herself in this situation even if there is money not to talk of the man that expect his wife to give birth without stress,i don't blame the man cos what will he do when there is no money. The doctor should be able to help maybe retain the wife till he pay the bill at least he will save two lifes.

u still base your assumption on the premise that the doctor must be able to treat this woman on credit and then collect the money later. There are situations where it is impossible. There are drugs we don't stock cos they are too expensive and so if u don't pay u don't get it and u can't blame me. U are very lucky if u even get a loan from bank 2 run a hospital. We pay exhorbitant registeration fee for govt, our overhead is skyrocketting and nobody cares until they bring a case they term EMERGENCY and now expect us 2 start performing a miracle with our own fund. My dear, I av detained patients before that I had to later beg them to start going to their house later when they couldn't pay and no bedspace for others. U think ur staff will understand that u are detaining somebody and so they should wait till the person pays b4 they get paid? And who told u the woman would have been saved anyway? In cases where u know the patient may eventually die, u have to collect deposit cos if the patient dies, the family won't want to pay. So, we should detain a dead body? Please u are not working in a hospital in nigeria and u don't know what we are facing that's why most of u are here running mouth

We do not have a healthcare system in Nigeria, (not even a mere ambulance service and we are all keeping quiet. Little wonder why any above average Nigerian go overseas including India for medicals)...this have increased superstitious belief, patronage of prayer houses,use of herbal remedies and more recently the so-called supplements to mention but a few.
May the soul of the departed rest in peace R.I.P.

Everybody is to blame in this case, husband, did you register this woman for ante natal care even at 5months pregnancy?
Clinic, if you knew you will not accept the N5k you should have directed them elsewhere because time is of greatest essence here.
Nigeria Medical Association (N.M.A.),Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (A.G.P.M.P.N.), State and Federal Ministry of Health please wake up...we have become demons to the very same people we schooled all day, all night and swore an oath to protect.
Let us rise and protect the patient rights first and ourselves...and the sanctity of human life.

shymexx: Hmmmm...- what a useless country!

insulting and cursing your own country won't make it any better

So sad

what is the rational behind all these inhumane policies?

two souls gone becos of #20,000 is so wicked of the hospital

The maternal mortality was preventable. Nigeria has the 2ND highest maternal mortality rate in the world. All the forms of delay were involved. The woman's case history is incomplete. As at the time she died, no diagnosis was made.
Where did she register for antenatal care and what was her gestational age? Why was she not taken to a government hospital where she would have benefitted from emergency services before payment of hospital bills? Was there any delay at home before she was taken to the hospital?
The officers at Garrison Clinic should have commenced emergency treatment since they had paid part of the deposit. If they couldn't handle the situation, they should have referred them immediately to the University of Port Harcourt teaching Hospital. The patient was not properly evaluated in the hospital. The delay could have worsened the woman's situation if she was not properly resuscitated.
It is uncommon for a pregnant women to die from abdominal pains unless there was an associated circulatory collapse from profuse vaginal or severe intra-abdominal bleeding. This case needs further investigations to ascertain the cause of death.

helpee: u still base your assumption on the premise that the doctor must be able to treat this woman on credit and then collect the money later. There are situations where it is impossible. There are drugs we don't stock cos they are too expensive and so if u don't pay u don't get it and u can't blame me. U are very lucky if u even get a loan from bank 2 run a hospital. We pay exhorbitant registeration fee for govt, our overhead is skyrocketting and nobody cares until they bring a case they term EMERGENCY and now expect us 2 start performing a miracle with our own fund. My dear, I av detained patients before that I had to later beg them to start going to their house later when they couldn't pay and no bedspace for others. U think ur staff will understand that u are detaining somebody and so they should wait till the person pays b4 they get paid? And who told u the woman would have been saved anyway? In cases where u know the patient may eventually die, u have to collect deposit cos if the patient dies, the family won't want to pay. So, we should detain a dead body? Please u are not working in a hospital in nigeria and u don't know what we are facing that's why most of u are here running mouth

hmmmmmmm...

Nobody is asking for the doctors to treat and discharge the woman on credit. They should have just stabilised her condition and monitor her vitals while the husband go get the money for full treatment. No matter how you look at it, this is careless murder.

I am a doctor and I wish to make a few points.
I have experienced close scenarios countless times
I totally agree with the general sentiments here.
But sometimes, u need to be in certain situations to knw how they work.

Firstly, i have treated every such emergency with or without money
But that is a PERSONAL decision because I cannot watch an emergency without acting
Its my kind of person and personal resolve.
Also, I do that knowing I could pay the bills if it comes to that.

secondly, while training in LUTH, there were so many patients who couldnt pay their bills.
It happens all the time. many will escape with excuse of going to toilet , etc.
Many were kept back for long periods while also being fed by the hospital
In the case of children, many of them were abandoned by their parents
Some of u may have heard of a certain LUTH baby ABANDONED AT A VERY TENDER AGE IN NEED OF SURGERY.
LUTH did the surgery and has been taking care of her. Few yrs ago, LUTH even sent her to India for the last part of her corrective surgery
She should be a teenager now.

On the issue, I have countless experiences. There is one that still hurts me so bad.It was in a private hospital.
A one yr old girl had her ring finger severed with just a little skin holding it.
Due to the small size of the finger, I personally entered into the rain with a bike to get the best suture for stitching it back.
I searched everywhere, luckily i found only one in the FMC of that state
I took 5 hrs for all the planning, suture search and stitching.
To tell u how bad it was, d mother wanted me to remove the severed finger being irreparable.
Now i did it, as i speak, no sign of d accident in that finger.
Now guess what? She refused to pay 4k. Till today, she paid only 2k which I shared with the nurses and even reported me to the owner of the hospital for asking for money.
meanwhile, the hospital never paid for that procedure cos am paid per hour booked and such cases are not booked for.

A 2yr old boy was almost dead with severe anaemia( very low blood level)due to severe malaria
After saving his life with blood and all, his grandpa came forcefully to take him away.
He even said we didnt do anything.

So finally, past experience may be reason for such. Many doctors have had to pay such bills for patients esp in private hospitals.

helpee: In cases where u know the patient may eventually die, u have to collect deposit cos if the patient dies, the family won't want to pay.

The above statement shows the kind of doctor you are. My friend you're in it for the money only. Should have taken up business rather than medicine at uni.

Mogidi:

The above statement shows the kind of doctor you are. My friend you're in it for the money only. Should have taken up business rather than medicine at uni.

. Hypocrites like you. So u think because the patient died money was not spent. This is the same mentality that will make such scenarios to keep occurring. You should have gone to medical school since u know more about humanitarian services more than others. And for ur information, if u can do half of what I've done for patient in an entirly lifetime, u won't be here saying rubbish that won't ever fit into reality

Mogidi:

The above statement shows the kind of doctor you are. My friend you're in it for the money only. Should have taken up business rather than medicine at uni.

what kind of human beings are these nigerians. See ur mentality. So because I am a doctor, I should accept a bad case that may eventually die in my private hospital, spend my money and took such a great risk. For ur information, if the patient eventually dies, the whole street will start saying people are dying too much in the hospital and u still want me to take such a risk without any deposit. U must be callous and heartless. That I even want to take such an emergency with deposit is worth commending me for. By the time the patient dies in that same hospital, hypocrites like u will come back here to say they killed the patient and they still demand for money. You guys are just wicked and comments like this makes us realise that the people don't mean well for doctors in Nigeria

miqos02: Most people are blaming this hospital,we have not asked if the couple subscribed to any antenatal service,they should have gone to their antenatal center

Sincerely it doesn't matter. An emergency may sprout up anywhere and at anytime and the most reasonable thing to do is present to the closest hospital no matter the antenatal booking status. The other thing is that in the face of emergency, the even the big men may not have cash handy. It may be in the middle of the night, weekend after you must exhausted all you could obtain from ATM etc.

I stand to be corrected, no hospital, doctor or nurse, private, mission or government has the right to deny anybody a live-saving intervention because of money. You may even use legal means to retrieve what you are owed with interest on top after the life has been saved.

I must also reiterate that so many hospitals are not protected in Nigeria, people never pay bills and hospitals run at a loss. It aint fair at all.
That however should never be an excuse to allow even a destitute to suffer permanent damage/injury or death due to inability to pay deposit or clear bills.
Some children have become motherless now by this action and they will never attain their full potentials in life. A husband now a widower etc...

After all said, every businessman sets out to make profit, feeds his family and pay his own bills too. There should be a legislation against owing medical bills and the laws should be empowered to enable such bills to be retrieved possibly with interest.

Thanks Impact
Nigerians are an ungrateful lot
If there is any thing u would slammed with a malpractice suit
Moreeni made some good points.. there are deals with Hygeia, UNIC HMOs.. what happened to that
Also the normal antenatal clinic of the man.. where was it

As someone pointed this is the spirit of ALUU
Some days ago the aides of a governor had to flown abroad to follow the gov too because of the poor system

In this same country, a mother and daughter died in DANA air.they were en route to India to medical reasons
May god help us

Yet our leaders and shepherds fly in jets

so sad

do we now now belive that d life expectancy in nigeria is 52yrs.

No one is talking about where the money will come from or for a long term political solution . Would you be willing every man and woman to pay 1000 naira a month into an Emergency medical fund which can be used to pay hospitals. The doctors have made it clear they are NOT prepared to carry the burden so why continue banging your head on a wall. What is the solution

"What a country, what a failure and what a loss! This is a sad story of the sorry state of the Nigerian health policy, how Nigerians are heartlessly and carelessly neglected because of money by doctors and nurses to die in hospitals, and how I lost my sister to a failed system.

"I am in sorrow and pains as I am writing this now with tears and anger.

"I have lost my sister! I have lost my sister, Ijeoma who was five months pregnant to the unprofessional conduct of a doctor and a quack policy of a clinic called “Garrison Clinic” situated at 10 Udom Street around Garrison roundabout in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria!
Since the heart breaking news of her death, sleep has deserted me as her thoughts and images have beclouded my brain and enveloped my eyes.


"The sad news came that my sister was cooking and suddenly shouted, “My stomach, my stomach, ah headache!”, and she was immediately rushed to a nearby clinic called “Garrison Clinic” between 9-10 am on 25 November 2012 by her husband. At the clinic the quack doctor on duty refused to attend to her unless the sum of N20, 000 naira was deposited. Her husband begged the doctor and the nurses to attend to her since they had collected about N5, 000 he had had in his pocket in the name of registration and other little things while he would go home and bring money. He had also told them that because of the nature of the emergency and the way his wife had been shouting while on the ground that his mind had only been pre-occupied with the thoughts of rushing her to any nearby hospital and had not thought of money or any other thing as he had even forgotten to put on shoes, but all his pleading and explanations to the doctor and the nurses had fallen into deaf ears. With her pains increasing and death knocking and the doctor and the nurses refusing to understand, there was no way he could have let her there unattended to go home and bring money. He took her and headed to another hospital, but unfortunately my sister did not make it as the damage had already been done before the doctors in that second hospital could do something reasonable to save her life. ..." To read all the painful experiences and her tortures before death follow this link: [url] http://www.globalreportersvienna.com/2012/11/my-heart-is-heavy-pregnant-woman.html[/url] http://www.globalreportersvienna.com/2012/11/my-heart-is-heavy-pregnant-woman.html

very sad indeed! this thing about to happened with me in yola, we spend two good day at hospital my wife was about to give birth.After putting her force labour for almost 38 hours nothing happened. Doctor ask me to bring money 25k for an operation and it was early in the morning(5am), thank to one of my friend he tookme to home with his car to look for that amount of money, after i came back to hospital. i sign the bill just waiting to took her to operation or surgery room a white doctor just came in went direct to my wife then she asked for her husband. I came in and she comfirmed to me that my wife will not go on operation by God grace, i should just one hour she will deliver by herself. Thank God just few minute after one hour the same white woman doctor come out to congratulate me. Hmmm, what a great day to me. I came to understood our black doctor here they more concerned on money than life. What a corrupt country we live?

I experienced the same thing during my NYSC at Domingo hospital Uyo even though the emergency was by 3am.May her soul rest in peace.

makatonison: chiswaggs: If it was a govt hospital that this thing occured, you would have blamed the govt and called it a failed system. Im sure this must have been a private hospital established with money. If this guy that owns the hospital came to you and asked you to dash him money to build a hospital, im sure many of you would not. Before a hospital would come up with such a strict policy, you don't know what they might have faced in the hands of patients. Anyway, Im not saying that her death is right by the way because it could av been my wife, im just saying that @times, the patients are also to blame. R.I.P. I hope God gives the family the fortitude to bear the loss.


What's ur name chiswaggs,I hope you feel what this man has pas thru soon then u will appreciate the term help as d nxt most important Verb after the term Love.Ur statement depicts stupidity,u open ur mouth n say patients shd be blamed!!Aaahhh it will get to you or someone in ur family.Money Isn't everything we all know,when talking frds,let's learn to choose our words!!!! It unfortunate it happen!!!!

if u like don't learn. When next you have an emergency run to a private hospital widout money and expect a father christmas doctor whose school fees you paid and whose children's school fees you are paying to foot your bills or attend to you widout an initial payment. You might be the next person we'll be talking about on Nairaland.

Though not the case here, it is also possible in some cases that people get rushed to facilities where they may not get help.
When such facilities say pls rush to bigger hospital, we may need to try and understand because a big building doesn't necessarily mean having the competent personnel, equipments or facilities to take of such a case. It may not be about money all the time.
It is strange when people beg you to do anything you can to help under such circumstances and you fully know that every single second you keep the patient (in the name of trying to doing something) drags d person farther away from wellness.

It is very clear now that nobody wants to carry the other's burden since if the dr enters your office (law office) the following morning without cash you will refuse to attend to him too.

With new programmes being roled out by the NHIS, it is possible for every single person to have a form of health insurance and be protected from this kind of unfortunate situation even if you are not a federal government employee.

Corpers are now fully covered by health insurance throughout their service year, tertiary institutions students are also fully covered now (I'm aware some schools have refused to subscribe though.)

The most recent is the private contributor scheme in which you (anybody) are expected to pay a very small amount of premium per annum and all your health needs (dependent on the "bouquet" you buy) for the year is covered.

We should not be ignorant of all these things we can surely afford yet we suffer.

frosbel:


My family and I myself have a history of bailing out the less fortunate especially at critical moments in their lives.

Life is not about living for myself and making the headlines , it is about the value I place on the lives around me.

Tales by Moonlight.

eeyah, RIP in peace, but wish she is in Ondo State, where all this things re free.

Damn...what an act of inhumanity of man to man...when shall we start having a good heart..just #20,000

I'm a medical doctor,practising here in Nigeria.

And i"m so touched, that some Nairalanders, who are not doctors, understand what we doctors go through in Nigeria.

I have treated patients on credit .. . .. .so many times. after, some pay, some don"t.

this is Dec 2 2012, i ve just paid my nurses for November, stocked new drugs for Xmas period, bought diesel.

My kids are waiting for their Xmas goodies and i MUST still pay my nurses their December salary b4 Xmas.

There is poverty in Nigeria - some people will just come to ur hospital, drop their sick relatives there, and take off.

Only to come back and start quarrelling when u tell them to pay... . because she is now cured.

No doctor is happy when a patient dies.

But i cant watch my kids starve, or let my landlord send me packing, or watch all my nurses desert my hospital because i cant pay them.

And yet some nairalanders will go & pay N20,000 tithe to their pastor because their wives have been healed.

And yet, Dr Ozodigboo dt treated ur wife, u have not settled his bills.

My sympathies to d man who lost his pregnant wife.

Uzoma Ahamefule:
"What a country, what a failure and what a loss! This is a sad story of the sorry state of the Nigerian health policy, how Nigerians are heartlessly and carelessly neglected because of money by doctors and nurses to die in hospitals, and how I lost my sister to a failed system.

"I am in sorrow and pains as I am writing this now with tears and anger.

"I have lost my sister! I have lost my sister, Ijeoma who was five months pregnant to the unprofessional conduct of a doctor and a quack policy of a clinic called “Garrison Clinic” situated at 10 Udom Street around Garrison roundabout in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria!
Since the heart breaking news of her death, sleep has deserted me as her thoughts and images have beclouded my brain and enveloped my eyes.


"The sad news came that my sister was cooking and suddenly shouted, “My stomach, my stomach, ah headache!”, and she was immediately rushed to a nearby clinic called “Garrison Clinic” between 9-10 am on 25 November 2012 by her husband. At the clinic the quack doctor on duty refused to attend to her unless the sum of N20, 000 naira was deposited. Her husband begged the doctor and the nurses to attend to her since they had collected about N5, 000 he had had in his pocket in the name of registration and other little things while he would go home and bring money. He had also told them that because of the nature of the emergency and the way his wife had been shouting while on the ground that his mind had only been pre-occupied with the thoughts of rushing her to any nearby hospital and had not thought of money or any other thing as he had even forgotten to put on shoes, but all his pleading and explanations to the doctor and the nurses had fallen into deaf ears. With her pains increasing and death knocking and the doctor and the nurses refusing to understand, there was no way he could have let her there unattended to go home and bring money. He took her and headed to another hospital, but unfortunately my sister did not make it as the damage had already been done before the doctors in that second hospital could do something reasonable to save her life. ..." To read all the painful experiences and her tortures before death follow this link: [url] http://www.globalreportersvienna.com/2012/11/my-heart-is-heavy-pregnant-woman.html[/url] http://www.globalreportersvienna.com/2012/11/my-heart-is-heavy-pregnant-woman.html

helpeeee hope u see this...

I wonder why the name of the said HOSPITAL is not mention in this write up! At least that will tarnish the Hospital Image a lil bit as someone like me and my family and friends would never advice anyone to go there. RIP

This is extremely sad, in a country where billions of Naira are budgeted for health both at states and federal level. Nigerian people should come out as one and fight for what belongs to us, because the political elite who are also the economical elite are very much satisfied with status quo.

In a situation whereby their is need to embark a nationwide demonstration to demand for what is legitimately ours, it will be disheartening to hear that a section of the country where the president hails from, will not participate in such quests. Nigerian state sold this woman's life for less than £100 and no politician regardless of his colour or creed , came to her rescue.

When i was serving at a General Hospital in the North (I can't give names for confidentiality), there was a pregnant woman who had tried to delivered at home and was rushed to the hospital because the delivery was proving difficult. It turned out that the child's arm had prolapsed or was sticking out of the vagina in an awkward position. We tried to reposition unsuccessfully but couldn't so the only option left was an emergency CS. In Sept. 2004, this woman needed just N30,000 for the surgery and couldn't afford it. Her husband was a carpenter and that was her 9th delivery. I begged and begged the head of the hospital to perform the CS on credit but he refused. Unfortunately this was a period I was soo broke myself so I couldn't pay cash and I was refused to sign as a surety for them. After three(3) days of excruciating pain the poor woman developed an infection. Obviously the child had died in utero and become septic so she developed high-grade fever and eventually died. It was about an hour before her death that the callous doctor heading the hospital approved the surgery, only too late. His claim was that I didn't know "these people". "They had the money but wouldn't pay". This was my first week there but I couldn't sleep properly for the next one week after she died. Her husband's grief was of the type I have never seen in a man before that time or since. HE wept profusely saying, " My help, my partner, how will I raise 8 children on my own?". It was so pathetic. I currently work to promote family planning because I believe that no-one should have children if they are not adequately prepared. I mean a couple expecting a child didn't have a mere N20000 saved? How were they planning on feeding the child?

The issues of negligence on the part of the medical staff must also be addressed. If you're going to admit, then please treat and at least stabilize the patient. If you won't, refer. Simple!

Emary: When i was serving at a General Hospital in the North (I can't give names for confidentiality), there was a pregnant woman who had tried to delivered at home and was rushed to the hospital because the delivery was proving difficult. It turned out that the child's arm had prolapsed or was sticking out of the vagina in an awkward position. We tried to reposition unsuccessfully but couldn't so the only option left was an emergency CS. In Sept. 2004, this woman needed just N30,000 for the surgery and couldn't afford it. Her husband was a carpenter and that was her 9th delivery. I begged and begged the head of the hospital to perform the CS on credit but he refused. Unfortunately this was a period I was soo broke myself so I couldn't pay cash and I was refused to sign as a surety for them. After three(3) days of excruciating pain the poor woman developed an infection. Obviously the child had died in utero and become septic so she developed high-grade fever and eventually died. It was about an hour before her death that the callous doctor heading the hospital approved the surgery, only too late. His claim was that I didn't know "these people". "They had the money but wouldn't pay". This was my first week there but I couldn't sleep properly for the next one week after she died. Her husband's grief was of the type I have never seen in a man before that time or since. HE wept profusely saying, " My help, my partner, how will I raise 8 children on my own?". It was so pathetic. I currently work to promote family planning because I believe that no-one should have children if they are not adequately prepared. I mean a couple expecting a child didn't have a mere N20000 saved? How were they planning on feeding the child?

The issues of negligence on the part of the medical staff must also be addressed. If you're going to admit, then please treat and at least stabilize the patient. If you won't, refer. Simple!

Carpenter, 8 children, in this time and age.

^^

8 children without 20000 in the bank? They should be arrested, or at least neutered. That case is solely their fault. Who tf do they think they are? Or are they breeding slaves? That's me saying what I think of that couple, kindly.

Good luck with your work on family planning, @deity knows we need it. Hopefully you educate some eediots.