I know some people will be mad at me for creating this thread, but lets face reality here.

In Nigeria, the medical profession seams to be worshiped and given the best considerations and benefits compared to other professions, yet it is the most irresponsible profession in the country.

It might interest you to know that despite all they enjoy;

- about 80% of death cases in the hospitals are caused by the doctors or nurses negligence. (they have a backup, 'we tried out best but we couldn't make it'. I wonder what best they tried).

- there is a saying 'health is better than wealth' but for the medical profession 'wealth is better than health'. So no matter how severe your case is, without money no attention is given to you.

- In the hospital, you pay what ever bill they charge you without prizing, even when you don't know what you are paying for.

- In some cases, especially surgery, after you have paid for most of the items needed before the surgery, they will still accumulate them for you to pay again before you leave the hospital (only some smart and deciplined people are able to detect this with their reciepts).

- You hardly go for anything in the hospital and come back successful the first day, you must keep having dates with the doctor.

- Once its 2pm in the government hospitals, they tell you they are tire that they have been working since mornig (even when there are no patients).

- And the worst of all, most of the doctors and nurses lacks manners. (their mouth alone can kill the patient before the illness)

please feel free to add your own experiences and observations.

The most annoying one is that of "payment before service"(we even hear of the private hospitals that their 1st objective is to make profits,bt it's even the government that does it the most) abeg wen den no be ashawo...even if u die 4 dia face..e no concern dem...odas i kno know o..

jechona: I know some people will be mad at me for creating this thread, but lets face reality here.

In Nigeria, the medical profession seams to be worshiped and given the best considerations and benefits compared to other professions, yet it is the most irresponsible profession in the country.

It might interest you to know that despite all they enjoy;

- about 80% of death cases in the hospitals are caused by the doctors or nurses negligence. (they have a backup, 'we tried out best but we couldn't make it'. I wonder what best they tried).

- there is a saying 'health is better than wealth' but for the medical profession 'wealth is better than health'. So no matter how severe your case is, without money no attention is given to you.

- In the hospital, you pay what ever bill they charge you without prizing, even when you don't know what you are paying for.

- In some cases, especially surgery, after you have paid for most of the items needed before the surgery, they will still accumulate them for you to pay again before you leave the hospital (only some smart and deciplined people are able to detect this with their reciepts).

- You hardly go for anything in the hospital and come back successful the first day, you must keep having dates with the doctor.

- Once its 2pm in the government hospitals, they tell you they are tire that they have been working since mornig (even when there are no patients).

- And the worst of all, most of the doctors and nurses lacks manners. (their mouth alone can kill the patient before the illness)

please feel free to add your own experiences and observations.

Your post shows u are misinformed.There may be isolated cases of malpractice but it's poor judgement to generalise.
To think once u get to the hospital,they must save your life is an illusion.Have u ever heard the statement,'we care but God heals'.Do you know that in Nigeria people badly manage their health and present in the hospital only when it is bad?
You are probably one of those people who think the hospital is a charity organisation.Do you realise the hospital is also a business?How do you want the doctors,nurses and other health workers to be paid salaries promptly and other expenditure taken care of if money is not seriously considered in the hospital?If u want free service,then you should keep telling your government to provide that.I want you to know that till date,there is no free service.I must add that you need to know how much debt the hospital writes off regularly and that many are treated free because they can't pay.
-If u ever receive treatment at the hospital,you can ask then for a bill and tell then to break it down for you,it is your right.You can also observe due diligence and ask for charges for services before you receive such.You should know that cost of surgery is not the total bill.Other costs you will incur is drugs,admission etc.
-If you go to the hospital,there are certain investigations and tests that may bring you back to the hospital,so don't expect that you will complete all treatment in your one day visit.
-You need to know the volume of patients health workers in government hospitals deal with everyday.Do you know how understaffed they are?When you are exhausted,is it not good also not to have to keep seeing patients so as not to misdiagnose or give wrong prescriptions?You really may not appreciate the volume of work.Please find a relative who works there to ask.
-You say MOST doctors and nurses have bad manners?You need to pick a dictionary to check the meaning of most again.

I am a health worker.

thorpido: Your post shows u are misinformed.There may be isolated cases of malpractice but it's poor judgement to generalise.
To think once u get to the hospital,they must save your life is an illusion.Have u ever heard the statement,'we care but God heals'.Do you know that in Nigeria people badly manage their health and present in the hospital only when it is bad?
You are probably one of those people who think the hospital is a charity organisation.Do you realise the hospital is also a business?How do you want the doctors,nurses and other health workers to be paid salaries promptly and other expenditure taken care of if money is not seriously considered in the hospital?If u want free service,then you should keep telling your government to provide that.I want you to know that till date,there is no free service.I must add that you need to know how much debt the hospital writes off regularly and that many are treated free because they can't pay.
-If u ever receive treatment at the hospital,you can ask then for a bill and tell then to break it down for you,it is your right.You can also observe due diligence and ask for charges for services before you receive such.You should know that cost of surgery is not the total bill.Other costs you will incur is drugs,admission etc.
-If you go to the hospital,there are certain investigations and tests that may bring you back to the hospital,so don't expect that you will complete all treatment in your one day visit.
-You need to know the volume of patients health workers in government hospitals deal with everyday.Do you know how understaffed they are?When you are exhausted,is it not good also not to have to keep seeing patients so as not to misdiagnose or give wrong prescriptions?You really may not appreciate the volume of work.Please find a relative who works there to ask.
-You say MOST doctors and nurses have bad manners?You need to pick a dictionary to check the meaning of most again.

I am a health worker.

thank u thorpido. let me just add my own bit. The op said that 80% of deaths in the hosp is caused by doctors and nurses, yet he will still visit the same hosp when he falls sick. . . . . the medical profession is really a thankless job in this country. you go to a private hosp and u r annoyed that tbey r asking u for money. .? doctors and nurses lack manners yet the rest of the populace r well mannered and infact r angels. u have about a thousand plus doctors attendin to a population of about 16million pple and yet u want prompt attention whenever u visit the gen hosps. ther is no denying the fact that some health workers r ill mannered but to generalize is a no no. in a govt hosp, bereaucracy is such that ther r quite a number of posts u have to go through before seeing the doctor, yet the doctor is still blamed for making u stay long in the hosp. And please, when a doctor opens his mouth to tell u he is tired, if u know what is good for u, be patient to see another one.

thorpido: Your post shows u are misinformed.There may be isolated cases of malpractice but it's poor judgement to generalise.
To think once u get to the hospital,they must save your life is an illusion.Have u ever heard the statement,'we care but God heals'.Do you know that in Nigeria people badly manage their health and present in the hospital only when it is bad?
You are probably one of those people who think the hospital is a charity organisation.Do you realise the hospital is also a business?How do you want the doctors,nurses and other health workers to be paid salaries promptly and other expenditure taken care of if money is not seriously considered in the hospital?If u want free service,then you should keep telling your government to provide that.I want you to know that till date,there is no free service.I must add that you need to know how much debt the hospital writes off regularly and that many are treated free because they can't pay.
-If u ever receive treatment at the hospital,you can ask then for a bill and tell then to break it down for you,it is your right.You can also observe due diligence and ask for charges for services before you receive such.You should know that cost of surgery is not the total bill.Other costs you will incur is drugs,admission etc.
-If you go to the hospital,there are certain investigations and tests that may bring you back to the hospital,so don't expect that you will complete all treatment in your one day visit.
-You need to know the volume of patients health workers in government hospitals deal with everyday.Do you know how understaffed they are?When you are exhausted,is it not good also not to have to keep seeing patients so as not to misdiagnose or give wrong prescriptions?You really may not appreciate the volume of work.Please find a relative who works there to ask.
-You say MOST doctors and nurses have bad manners?You need to pick a dictionary to check the meaning of most again.

I am a health worker.

kk..we've heard..and nobody is saying they shldn't collect money..but must we deposit b4 they attend to usinfact if u tel them that they should pls attend 2 u b4 u go to the bank and withdraw money...they'l tel 2 go and withdraw first b4 u come 4 treatment(ur family hospital can do that 4 u though..but dem government own no go gree o)...and so many lives have bin lost cus of dis thing...

Fussbot: kk..we've heard..and nobody is saying they shldn't collect money..but must we deposit b4 they attend to usinfact if u tel them that they should pls attend 2 u b4 u go to the bank and withdraw money...they'l tel 2 go and withdraw first b4 u come 4 treatment(ur family hospital can do that 4 u though..but dem government own no go gree o)...and so many lives have bin lost cus of dis thing...

It's important to get some money deposited before treatment if your hospital has to continue as a business.I will give you a practical example.
A patient is brought to the hospital as an accident case for instance.You stabilize the patient,give drips,drugs,blood and even do a minor surgery or suturing.A few days after,the patient dies(only God can keep life).Now the family says our relative is dead,why are u still asking us for money?Do you know how many of this kind of case I have seen.Do you know how personally I have not had money paid me because the patient died or left and didn't come back.
Imagine if this happens frequently,how it will affect the running of the hospital.

thorpido: It's important to get some money deposited before treatment if your hospital has to continue as a business.I will give you a practical example.
A patient is brought to the hospital as an accident case for instance.You stabilize the patient,give drips,drugs,blood and even do a minor surgery or suturing.A few days after,the patient dies(only God can keep life).Now the family says our relative is dead,why are u still asking us for money?Do you know how many of this kind of case I have seen.Do you know how personally I have not had money paid me because the patient died or left and didn't come back.
Imagine if this happens frequently,how it will affect the running of the hospital.

lwkm..so this is why u guys collect money before treatment...naija una nogo kill me..even doctors sef are not a learner!..it's tru though,i wldn't pay either in such situation....God will guide us sha

thorpido:
To think once u get to the hospital,they must save your life is an illusion.Have u ever heard the statement,'we care but God heals'.Do you know that in Nigeria people badly manage their health and present in the hospital only when it is bad.
You are probably one of those people who think the hospital is a charity organisation.Do you realise the hospital is also a business?How do you want the doctors,nurses and other health workers to be paid salaries promptly and other expenditure taken care of if money is not seriously considered in the hospital?If u want free service,then you should keep telling your government to provide that.I want you to know that till date,there is no free service.I must add that you need to know how much debt the hospital writes off regularly and that many are treated free because they can't pay.
-If you go to the hospital,there are certain investigations and tests that may bring you back to the hospital,so don't expect that you will complete all treatment in your one day visit.
-You say MOST doctors and nurses have bad manners?You need to pick a dictionary to check the meaning of most again.

- yes the health state of most Nigerians is bad but i believe appropriate attention rather than nagging can help their situation.

-yes the hospital is not a charity organisation but that is not enough reason for the exploitation most hospitals do.

-how cases when go to the hospital (what happened to me, spending a whole monday in a state hospital in osogbo and can't be attended to, reasons being that there is no light, and the hospital can't put on a generator that is not faulty) is it part of the investigation for proper diagnosis too?

- for the word 'most', perhaps I don't have a dictionary, you can help me with one.

- for me being misinformed, I will appreaciate it if you get me properly informed. So we can seize the bull by the horn when we have the opportunity to make Nigeria better.
Thank you.

jechona:

- yes the health state of most Nigerians is bad but i believe appropriate attention rather than nagging can help their situation.

-yes the hospital is not a charity organisation but that is not enough reason for the exploitation most hospitals do.

-how cases when go to the hospital (what happened to me, spending a whole monday in a state hospital in osogbo and can't be attended to, reasons being that there is no light, and the hospital can't put on a generator that is not faulty) is it part of the investigation for proper diagnosis too?

- for the word 'most', perhaps I don't have a dictionary, you can help me with one.


- for me being misinformed, I will appreaciate it if you get me properly informed. So we can seize the bull by the horn when we have the opportunity to make Nigeria better.
Thank you.

Doctors are not trained to put on generators.You will have to face the government.

jechona:

- yes the health state of most Nigerians is bad but i believe appropriate attention rather than nagging can help their situation.

-yes the hospital is not a charity organisation but that is not enough reason for the exploitation most hospitals do.

-how cases when go to the hospital (what happened to me, spending a whole monday in a state hospital in osogbo and can't be attended to, reasons being that there is no light, and the hospital can't put on a generator that is not faulty) is it part of the investigation for proper diagnosis too?

.

You forgot to include cases of misdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis by doctors in those same expensive hospitals. A neighbour of mine was wrongly diagnosed with a spinal cord injury after she had complained of severe waist and back pains. The doctors ran some tests and requested that a deposit of over a million naira should be paid, so that immediate surgery could commence. Luckily, an uncle of hers' arrived from the States, and asked that they should seek a 2nd opinion.

He contacted another family friend who was an associate professor of medicine. After some extensive tests, it was discovered that the reason for the severe pain was a bad case of UTI (i.e. urinary tract infection). Some high dosage antibiotics were given and in less than 2 weeks, this lady was right as rain.

A large number of medical practitioners in the private sector, have forgotten all about the Hippocratic Oath. Their only allegiance is to money.

Laudate II:

You forgot to include cases of misdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis by doctors in those same expensive hospitals. A neighbour of mine was wrongly diagnosed with a spinal cord injury after she had complained of severe waist and back pains. The doctors ran some tests and requested that a deposit of over a million naira should be paid, so that immediate surgery could commence. Luckily, an uncle of hers' arrived from the States, and asked that they should seek a 2nd opinion.

He contacted another family friend who was an associate professor of medicine. After some extensive tests, it was discovered that the reason for the severe pain was a bad case of UTI (i.e. urinary tract infection). Some high dosage antibiotics were given and in less than 2 weeks, this lady was right as rain.

A large number of medical practitioners in the private sector, have forgotten all about the Hippocratic Oath. Their only allegiance is to money.

health workers are nigerians. nigerians are lazy and bad including urself. what u see in hospital today is related to bad society. people shout about hospital workers because they deal with life. all workers in nigeria are the same.

My opinion, from my experience , l visited a government hospital to see a family friend. first there were 24 beds, 12 on each side. and l ask the nurse on duty. about the last vital sign of the pt. They were all looking for the paper and later found it on the floor. the head nurse , apologise and requested for the nurse to take vital sign of all pt, secondly the COPD pt , ask the nurse were pt was on a flat posture , instead of 45 degree.

My observation . to have a Good health care center, hospital ,etc. you must have a Good management and Good regulatory body. most of the hospital , don t have good ventilation system, The regulatory body should be able to create minimum standards. the pt should also be enlighten on their rights, The whole health system needs to be reoraganised.

These is what and hospital or medical center should look like,in Nigeria,

To u that is lashing out @op.
Did he lie? Why d defense mechanism? This is what Nigerians r known for. Whenever u r shown ur dirty side,instead of looking for ways to improve,blames r apportioned.
If u happen to enter a hospital outside Naija, u will weep for the Nigerian medical profession.
The worst is when they(drs) assume this their godly atmosphere,they forgot to explain that nonsense they always write down for patients in God knows what stupiid handwriting.
Drs,pls after diagnosis, explain whatever u want ur patients to do very well. If its drugs u prescribed,endeavour to explain each one in details.
Gosh,we still hv a long way to go.

I am still an intern but I believe I can chip in some stuff......

I believe this is all because there is no standard health policy and referral system in this country, because in other countries, the government or health insurance pays all your bills, so they care more about the patient's life first.....

and for doctors/nurses being rude, thats a personal thing.... i am not rude

Laalamed:

health workers are nigerians. nigerians are lazy and bad including urself. what u see in hospital today is related to bad society. people shout about hospital workers because they deal with life. all workers in nigeria are the same.

Was that meant to be a comment or a pathetic excuse or just what....exactly? Would you have given this same response if the patient in question had been your sister or daughter or a close relative?

It is sad but true. The healthcare system in Nigeria is in a very pathetic state and those responsible have refused to accept responsibility . They choose instead to blame it on the government and poor facilities and blah blah but the truth is The first thing the hospitals need are new and improved workers. not equipment or facilities.

Bludeville: It is sad but true. The healthcare system in Nigeria is in a very pathetic state and those responsible have refused to accept responsibility
Who are the people responsible??

. They choose instead to blame it on the government and poor facilities
So the facilities in the hospital are world class abi??
and blah blah but the truth is The first thing the hospitals need are new and improved workers. not equipment or facilities.

I know you just want to comment.. You obviously don't know what you are saying.

alkonami:
I know you just want to comment.. You obviously don't know what you are saying.

LOL! Remain in denial and continue blaming it on "facilities"

Bludeville: It is sad but true. The healthcare system in Nigeria is in a very pathetic state and those responsible have refused to accept responsibility . They choose instead to blame it on the government and poor facilities and blah blah but the truth is The first thing the hospitals need are new and improved workers. not equipment or facilities.

What is the use of a hospital that does not have oxygen, surgical equipment and other equipment to diagnose the patients' ailment and treat their diseases?

Bros., they need both! New and improved workers with relevant skills and compassion to care for the sick and dying, as well as good facilities to diagnose, treat and cure the patients.

They also need proper structures and management systems to deliver healthcare that is affordable, easy to access and convenient to all patients.

Towards the end of last year, a relative was rushed to the emergency ward of the Lagos Island General Hospital at 4:00 a.m The nurses and ward assistants turned a blind eye demanding that a payment of =N=100 should be made for the patient's admission card. A =N=500 naira note was given to the nurse on duty who declined to take it and pointed us in the direction of the bank or cash centre to make payment. We ran there, but of course the place was closed as it was still 4:00 .am barely dawn. We pleaded and begged that they should give the patient emergency treatment to save his life.

They ignored us oh! Each of them just dismissed the patient and continued chanting that we should pay =N=100 for card before anything could be done. It dawned on us that we had to resort to prayers, if that patient was going to survive. Finally, the cash centre opened and we rushed back to make payment. After running back with the receipt and asking breathlessly for the doctor, guess what answer we were given?

"No doctor is available now. All of them are attending to patients in the ward." We were aghast.

To make matters worse, it was discovered that the entire emergency ward had only 2 bedpans to be shared by 48 patients. The toilets were filthy, no running water etc. It was a nightmare! If not for the mercy of God, that patient would have passed on to the great beyond! Finally, after two weeks on admission, and a bill of almost =N=120,000 the patient was discharged. This process of admission and patient discharge is a story for another day...

I know another patient in similar circumstances that was rushed to a popular private hospital. A deposit of =N=50,000 was requested and promptly paid within the hour. The patient died the following day, because there was no doctor on duty to attend to him. He was abandoned in the ward for over 7 hours before it was discovered that he needed blood. The blood never came and the patient died due to sheer negligence on the part of the hospital authorities.

Honestly, we need good medical malpractice lawyers in this country. when doctors start getting sued, and medical directors start losing their licenses maybe there would be some sanity in the system.

Laudate II:

What is the use of a hospital that does not have oxygen, surgical equipment and other equipment to diagnose the patients' ailment and treat their diseases?

Bros., they need both! New and improved workers with relevant skills and compassion to care for the sick and dying, as well as good facilities to diagnose, treat and cure the patients.

They also need proper structures and management systems to deliver healthcare that is affordable, easy to access and convenient to all patients.

Towards the end of last year, a relative was rushed to the emergency ward of the Lagos Island General Hospital at 4:00 a.m The nurses and ward assistants turned a blind eye demanding that a payment of =N=100 should be made for the patient's admission card. A =N=500 naira note was given to the nurse on duty who declined to take it and pointed us in the direction of the bank or cash centre to make payment. We ran there, but of course the place was closed as it was still 4:00 .am barely dawn. We pleaded and begged that they should give the patient emergency treatment to save his life.

They ignored us oh! Each of them just dismissed the patient and continued chanting that we should pay =N=100 for card before anything could be done. It dawned on us that we had to resort to prayers, if that patient was going to survive. Finally, the cash centre opened and we rushed back to make payment. After running back with the receipt and asking breathlessly for the doctor, guess what answer we were given?

"No doctor is available now. All of them are attending to patients in the ward." We were aghast.

To make matters worse, it was discovered that the entire emergency ward had only 2 bedpans to be shared by 48 patients. The toilets were filthy, no running water etc. It was a nightmare! If not for the mercy of God, that patient would have passed on to the great beyond! Finally, after two weeks on admission, and a bill of almost =N=120,000 the patient was discharged. This process of admission and patient discharge is a story for another day...

I know another patient in similar circumstances that was rushed to a popular private hospital. A deposit of =N=50,000 was requested and promptly paid within the hour. The patient died the following day, because there was no doctor on duty to attend to him. He was abandoned in the ward for over 7 hours before it was discovered that he needed blood. The blood never came and the patient died due to sheer negligence on the part of the hospital authorities.

Honestly, we need good medical malpractice lawyers in this country. when doctors start getting sued, and medical directors start losing their licenses maybe there would be some sanity in the system.

Your stories above seem to buttress my point. Very few healthworkers can truthfully say 'I am doing my best" Because they can do so much more. How can i go to the hospital only to find that i know more about my ailment than the doctor? How can a doctor be unable to interprete a simple test result?? How can a nurse not know a single thing about taking blood pressure? For Bleep's sake, Volunteer doctors do so much with little or nothing because they have enough knowlege to be able to improvise and make the best out of what they have

now i am hearing all federal health workers want to go on strike, which way nigeria!!!!

Bludeville:
Your stories above seem to buttress my point. Very few healthworkers can truthfully say 'I am doing my best" Because they can do so much more. How can i go to the hospital only to find that i know more about my ailment than the doctor? How can a doctor be unable to interprete a simple test result?? How can a nurse not know a single thing about taking blood pressure? For Bleep's sake, Volunteer doctors do so much with little or nothing because they have enough knowlege to be able to improvise and make the best out of what they have

It's so easy to talk outside of the system than for you to be in it.That's all i'll say for now.

By the way,if you know more than your doctor,just change your hospital....daz all.
You want to tell me you and everyone in your field knows everything about your field.
Medicine is evolving and learning is always ongoing even for a qualified medical personnel.No-one knows everything at a certain stage.
It's easy to smack the health system.If you live in Nigeria,your field is not free of the rot.

thorpido: It's so easy to talk outside of the system than for you to be in it.That's all i'll say for now.

By the way,if you know more than your doctor,just change your hospital....daz all.
You want to tell me you and everyone in your field knows everything about your field.
Medicine is evolving and learning is always ongoing even for a qualified medical personnel.No-one knows everything at a certain stage.
It's easy to smack the health system.If you live in Nigeria,your field is not free of the rot.

Lameass defence dude

thorpido: It's so easy to talk outside of the system than for you to be in it.That's all i'll say for now.

By the way,if you know more than your doctor,just change your hospital....daz all.
You want to tell me you and everyone in your field knows everything about your field.
Medicine is evolving and learning is always ongoing even for a qualified medical personnel.No-one knows everything at a certain stage.
It's easy to smack the health system.If you live in Nigeria,your field is not free of the rot.

Chief, I find it difficult to swallow this your excuse here.

The medical profession deals with human lives, for crying out loud! Human life is such a delicate business, that you cannot be too careful in handling human bodies. One careless mistake can send a whole person to the great beyond, or cause irreparable damage to the body & mind!

It is not by force to work in a hospital. If a doctor, nurse or healthcare professional cannot practice medicine properly, update their skills promptly, consult widely with senior colleagues to enrich their learning & experience,perform their duties honestly with dedication, then please such people should leave the profession.....enuff said!

Let those who really need the job and are willing to go the extra mile to save lives, heal bodies, touch minds, treat diseases properly and leave their patients in a far better state than they came in, be allowed to stay and carry on their duties.

Bludeville:
Lameass defence dude

You don't have to be so rude.

Laudate II:

Chief, I find it difficult to swallow this your excuse here.

The medical profession deals with human lives, for crying out loud! Human life is such a delicate business, that you cannot be too careful in handling human bodies. One careless mistake can send a whole person to the great beyond, or cause irreparable damage to the body & mind!

It is not by force to work in a hospital. If a doctor, nurse or healthcare professional cannot practice medicine properly, update their skills promptly, consult widely with senior colleagues to enrich their learning & experience,perform their duties honestly with dedication, then please such people should leave the profession.....enuff said!

Let those who really need the job and are willing to go the extra mile to save lives, heal bodies, touch minds, treat diseases properly and leave their patients in a far better state than they came in, be allowed to stay and carry on their duties.

You're getting it all wrong.This is not about what the individual health personnel can offer.I am talking about the challenges of the health system.The Op raised issues about the system and i addressed the misconception about health personnel.I'm not saying there are no lapses or acts of negligence in the profession,i'm talking about the challenges of the health system in Nigeria.I can't tell you enough of how the health personnel take care of patients from their own pockets.What do you do when you have to provide things to use from your own pockets?

thorpido: You don't have to be so rude.

Rude would be " Oh shut up! " . His defence was lameass and i pointed that out. Simple statement of fact.
Out.

Bludeville:
Rude would be " Oh shut up! " . His defence was lameass and i pointed that out. Simple statement of fact.
Out.

Well whatever!