It is no news that the Nigerian health care system is not one of the things Nigerians are proud of. Everyday on social media we see complains of how doctors killed or almost killed someone. It is almost certain that every person who dies in a hospital in Nigeria was killed by a doctor. The need to respond to this growing trend is necessary if not we may end up like the Indians who harm doctors even when doctors tried to save the lives of their loved ones because they do not understand a procedure as simple as a CPR was to save life not to harm. In response doctors now receive 'orders not to save the lives of patients" in certain hostile situations just to protect their own life. This trend is noticed ONLY among the "ill informed" and may soon be the case in Nigeria if necessary steps are not taken to checkmate the flow of rumour.

The comments on 2 threads that have graced the front page of this forum speaks volume of how medically misinformed/uninformed the average Nigerian is. A certain comment on how a "quack doctor" gave glucose to a diabetic patient left me bemused, this makes sense only to those who do not know hypoglycemia is even more dangerous than hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. Even though the patient's life was saved the poster cried negligence. A second comment accused the doctors for unavailable blood for transfusion, yes! because the doctors also work in the laboratory. This morning a thread "Binta Badmus Dies Due To A Medical Error, Nigerians Mourn Her" was on front page again, I opened to see what was the medical error and behold it was a "drug that froze a patient", maybe they should have also included in the report that the doctors prescribed nitrogen oxide, maybe the well informed ones would believe. Despite this obvious defect in the content a moderator moved that thread to the front page of the largest forum in Nigeria thereby promoting hate against the profession and only adding to problem of misinformation.

THE SOLUTION
That our health care system is in a comatose state is unarguable. The solution is simple but Nigerians have never looked in that direction. ASUU speaks for education, NLC speaks for workers but nobody speaks for the health of the people. I stand to be corrected but for the past 20 years there has never been a nationwide demand for better health policies or even increase in the budget allocation to the health sector. The problem we all share yet no one ever talks of the solution. America's health budget was $3.6 trillion in 2017 compared to Nigeria's $126 million. Health is expensive everywhere!!
To make health care available and affordable a national health insurance scheme must also become functional for every working citizen. Many states are yet to implement this policy presently. In the developed countries almost all available investigations are done for a sick patient but in Nigeria doctors chose only the most appropriate for you. This means the likely diagnosis may be missed initially, this is done because the average Nigerian cannot afford all investigations. With a functional national health insurance scheme this will change because Nigerians will no longer have to pay from their pocket.
A third step that must be taken to improve health services in Nigerian tertiary facilities is to increase the wages of doctors. The average Nigerian will frown to this but this is the truth. If a doctor is not financially secure he may spend time on other activities that will lead to financial security or simply leave the country, both of these will only have a negative effect of the quality of services received. The allied professionals have 3 shifts daily because they have enough staff but you see those young doctors who you meet first in that hospital, he works from 7am to 4pm daily plus night calls from 7pm to 6am every 2 or 3 days. I used to believe the profession was easy now I know even a bricklayer does not work half as hard as a doctor. The only difference is the reward, even that is easily gulped by relatives...

The list can not be complete without a mention of the need to have an upgrade in facilities and equipments as well as implementation of a policy to restrict public office holders from travelling outside the country for medical tourism.

I hope this message gets to those who can effect a change as that is what we need in our health sector.