I read with serious pity and disdain the way folks come out here to label Nigerian Doctors as quacks, when Nigerian Doctors are some of the most intelligent Doctors in the world.

In two weeks I have seen 2 almost dead patients rushed into the emergency, and the relatives agitated and expecting a miracle. The first felt "weak" and "breathless", then rushed to a Chemist who gave him drugs and some injections. The patient went home and felt worst, He then presented to a Church and spent all night there under severe prayers, then was rushed to the hospital when he became unconscious, pulseless, with a GCS of 3, which is the lowest on the Coma scale. While they couldn't shout to the chemist man or clergyman, the hospital was the best place to shout, and blame the generator current, and the old rusty oxygen, or the overworked doctors dressing etc. Sadly this patient would not survive.

The second was a patient who probably had an intracranial bleed. He felt the worst headache of his life and was rushed to a pharmacy, who loaded him with Nsaids, he was then taken home for bed rest when he threw up, fell off the bed and became comatose, with a racoon eyes. Everything that could be done was done for him. Funny enough there was no CT scan in the hospital, and the only facility that had this was 4hours away, and would cost 40k!. The patient was managed the best we could and luckily this one survived.

The two tales above could be painted in a different light by the already biased patient. So biased that a patient was left to detiorate before been sent to the hospital, then suddenly the talk becomes about the dirty wheel chairs, the old oxygen cylinder, the doctor who is not crying with you, and the very old laundry. Complaints that have nothing to do with the doctor. I also saw recently a known diabetic and hypertensive given a one week appointment, returning 8month later in Coma. That should also be the Doctors fault.

In a Country where the citizens and the government do not care a bit about Doctors, then nothing good should be expected from the health system. If a hospital owned by government doesn't have an SPO2 machine or functional oxygen cylinder, I wonder how a Doctor would predict the oxygen saturation or give oxygen. If there is no CT machine, EEG machine, ECG machine and facility to run an electrolyte, I wonder how the cause of a seizure can be diagnosed even with the most advanced of doctor. The populace do not fight the government for lack of these facilities, but are quick to brandish doctors as quacks. In advanced countries the "dumbest" of doctors is considered great because he has facilities for effective diagnosis, and getting the right diagnosis is half the cure. But here public hospitals have no functional defibrillator, and yet biased patient wants ACLS done. Rubbish!

Where the Doctors get it wrong however is in disclosure. Explain the prognosis to patient and their relatives, tell them your current limitation and give the prognosis to them, and have them decide whether they choose to remain under your care or not. Several doctors don't do this.

Finally anyone brandishing Nigerian trained doctors as quacks is ill-informed, as Nigerian Doctors make up the pool of foreign medical graduates in most advanced Countries in the world. Over 60% of Nigerian trained Doctors are outside the shores of Nigeria and are doing great. This year alone Nearly a thousand migrated to the UK and US, so much for quacks right!. If there is anyone to blame, patients should blame themselves, for seeking self help and presenting when they are unsalvageable, for putting their daily medical care in the hands of Chemists with no basic education, then running to an ill equipped emergency to make noise when thing become critical, for joining the government to blame doctors as gold diggers, when doctors ask for better welfare and facilities, for allowing Nigerian Doctors to become some of the least paid in the world.

Even In advanced countries with all the facilities, the emergency remains the part of the hospital with the highest mortality, and seeking preventive health care or seeing the doctor as an outpatient is always advocated. Doctors are not God, and Nigerian doctors are definitely not quacks.

Sgt PonziHater