₦airaland Forum

ednut1:
But when they go abroad dem go nice . I remember my encounter with a 9ja doc in birmingham. Nigeria is a zoo

eleojo23:
What you see in the hospital is a typical representation of the failed Nigerian system.

These same doctors behave well in other countries.

tensazangetsu20:
Continue abusing them . Soon enough you won't have anymore doctors as the new graduating ones are all leaving

Caseless:
where are you? Nowhere can be far if it's about your health.

yemmy75:
Go to where you can get the type of medical services you want... And be ready to pay for it

eleojo23:
Actually, doctors need to tell the patients what they are suffering from and the possible causes of their sickness so that they can avoid those causes in the future if possible.
In fact, telling the patient about his disease will ensure proper compliance with treatment plans/recommendations.

And the attitude thing is a major problem. There are still good ones though

But one thing doctors must realise is that every patient that comes to them is not just an inferior human being just because they are sick. Those patients are also professionals in their own field and should be treated with some respect. No one exists in isolation. We all form part of the society and each individual no matter his field, is needed to keep the society functioning.

Diamond360:


from my experience, private doctors and nurses are the worse, especially those in the average hospitals. very cruel and unsympathetic

Caseless:
Kaduna state. Have you been to Kaduna before? You'd meet specialists there as it's the only one in Nigeria.

Cmanforall:
I feel the pains of our teachers and the deplorable state of our education sector. If given the opportunity, I will make the teaching profession (primary and secondary ) the highest paid in the country.
According to your last paragraph, I don't think it is wrong to choose a profession and get trained in line with the profession for a legally financial stability. However, it is totally wrong not to work in line with the ethics and practice of the chosen profession.

Caseless:
Looking at what you stated below, I want to ask. Have you visited the national ear centre before?

omooba969:
Leave pretty amarabae alone o.

yemmy75:
How can someone be rude to a doctor?

Really?

Don't even go there

yemmy75:
I frankly don't agree with your statement about MOST Nigerian public school teachers working their asses off, at least not in the part of Nigeria where I live

The truth is that everyone knows where the best services are. A parent that wants the best teaching for his/her ward knows where to get it (and you will agree it is not in public schools), so far he can pay for it. Similarly, a patient that wants "abroad-like" medical care knows where to get it, even in this Nigeria.

Most Nigerians would however rather go to chemists, cheap hospitals where they employ paramedics to pose as doctors, or hospitals with understaffed doctors, just to cut costs, then come and complain when things go south

You can't go to mama put when you want to eat Chinese fried rice biko!

Hahjascho:
[q The last lpart touch me uote author=MissJoy29 post=70781806]

Vickygarl:
Concerning your question "How can someone be rude to a doctor? ". Believe you me, I have seen a lot personally and even with my colleagues. I'm sure you understand that some people are naturally arrogant and very ill-mannered. Some of these people talk to doctors as if they are talking to their subordinates, especially when the doctor is a female. I have witnessed 2 outstanding situations in which patients' relatives assaulted doctors. The first doctor was a male and the patient's (a child) mother because he didn't attend to her on time threatened to call the police despite the fact that her child's case wasn't an emergency and she met other parents waiting with their wards. She slapped the doctor and got sent out of the hospital while her child's case file was marked with red marker. That was the end of the clinic for that day.
The second was a similar scenario but happened to a female doctor whose clothes were torn by a patient's mother. People had to run around and get something to cover her up. They did the same thing they did in the first case to her (the mother).
These stories are hardly aired because the doctors don't hit back as it will be against them. Even when they are aired, the stories are skewed against the doctors.
I have had to walk away from aggressive and arrogant patients and relatives sometimes to avoid being assaulted.
Most of those people don't tell the full stories and the doctors are not usually there to defend themselves.
As there are bad doctors, there are equally bad and sometimes even worse patients and relatives.

Oneboypikin:
Sad but that's it

@Missjoy29 sorry about Your Experience but if that is What you experienced then that is normal and most of us Know and Have experienced that, that is Small compared to what happens everyday they do worse, see worse and experience far worse everyday. Nigeria is finished just do and leave
This very little compared to what we see, know and Happens
I list them
Drs would have Quickies with other Drs and Medical professionals on Night calls while ppl dey suffer
2. The whole pain, dying etc is everyday thing since Medical Sch
3.I remember one time when my Late Mum Was admitted Hmmn I suffered we suffered infact Can You believe a Dr female was trying to be make passes and when I did not pay attention became so mean it was unbelievable I thought she would professional
Became mean stopped answering me and greetings, I am not making this Up. That would be terrible. Very insecure human just like the rest of them. and I was unfortunate because she was one of the main persons that came To attend to ppl in that ward among Al the Younger/student Dr or whatever it is, seems she was more power trust and entrusted more since the Senior ones were rarely around. the Ladies are worse than the men infact both are terrible
4.you pay for everything down to Hot water.
I saw so many things firsthand can't even continue so painful to remember

DrObum:
MissJoy29, I sincerely understand what you're saying and I empathize with you.

Let me tell you the part of a story that no one would tell you.
These doctors, nurses and Co we have in this country are not substandard nor heartless, the system placed it so on them. I'm not defending them because it's my profession but let me tell you what they have been made not to tell you.

Do you know that when they leave the shores of this country to practise abroad, they are well regarded, question is why?

There is something called a doctor to patient ratio, just like the nurse to patient ratio. The idea is to ensure that there are not too many patients chasing too few doctors, so that the quality of care for each patient is assured.
This is the singular reason why despite having their own nationals as doctors, the developed nations keep admitting more foreign doctors to cut that ratio.
What's our own situation here like?

A doctor in Nigeria that is meant to see about 20 patients in a day, now has about 100 to see. Tell me sincerely, how would any of them be satisfied at the end of the day?

One day, I spent quite some time trying to psychoeducate some patient that I was seeing. What did I get from that? A strong word to hurry up that I still have many more to go. Do you think any of the rest would truly be happy that they saw me the rest of that day?

Another day during my housemanship, I was losing my cool with a nurse who had not done what we requested for a patient but she said to me, "my son, look at this ward, I'm the only nurse on duty". Truly, I beheld about 40 patients with only one nurse to attend to them. I apologized to her and left and since then I never bother to push any of them again.

Let's be fair, was I expecting magic from that nurse that day? Or the other doctors and nurses whom the system has never given a chance to cry out but they are vilified everyday on social media.

It's also painful to see patients or clients walk the breadth of the hospital to make payments or pick a form. We also wish for a one stop facility for patients, to avoid all these but remember, we did not design the hospitals and do not entirely determine what should be where.
I don't see people pass through all these and hold the people who hold the aces responsible, nope, it's the service man in front of you that should take the heat.

We vilify the service men online and when we have an opportunity with policy makers and leaders, we take a smiling shot with them, post on social media and return to our problems to continue the cycle. How I wish we can take this cry to the right quarters always?

A workman is bad only when he has been given the tools and he failed to deliver. Our health workers have not been given the tool, they cannot be said to have failed.

We'll keep trying our best till either the system improves or we leave it.

millionboi:
OP u are just ignorant.
I'm a microbiologist, it will b stigmatizing for d doctor to tell u d root cause of ur problem.

nnekaike:
missjoy29 you are correct.when I was pregnant I had swollen feet and each time I go to the hospital without being checked am told it's part of pregnancy wahala.The swollen feet got worse daily with serious pain,I could barely walk, my face and hand began to
P swell too and i kept on complaining.
Each time I google swollen feet I always see it as part of pregnancy as a symptom of pre-emclapsia,but pre-emclapsia did not cross any doctor mind.
I even went to another hospital, same thing.

To cut the story short,I was diagnosed of severe pre-emclapsia, and had to do and emergency CS.My baby and I survived by a miracle.

I woke up to see my baby's right eye red,rushed her to the hospital,saw a doctor and he prescribed and oilment to rub round the eye, I asked what caused it and no reply.Till date I don't know what made my baby eye to get red,so how do I prevent it?. plenty other occasions

The hospital I use is a very big and damn expensive hospital in lagos,but the doctors nko.
Some are nice and some are devils,and how many reporting will I do.
Whenever am going to the hospital now I just commit all the medical personnel's in God's hand, so their heart and mind can be soft.

Hanseel1:
Genuine complains not directed to the right quaters should be frowned upon.It is wasteful and will not achieve anything. There you go again generalising about outcomes of appointments with doctors.I wonder why you dont see anything wrong with this your approach.You can only change things by doing things properlought out manner.
Have you ever sued a hospital and they didnt show up in
court?have you ever sued a doctor/nurse and they
showed contempt of court?what have you done to show
grievances?
Sitting down behind a computer lamenting i repeat brings
no changes, if you or any of the aggrieved members take
action, then you may expect some things to change.
This is the fundamental Nigerian problem, you sit and
complain and do nothing and expect change.There is a
problem ,agreed, but you have to make effort if you want
change. If you have a compelling case, go to SERVICOM,
sue the doctor or the hospital or go to the MDCN which has a strong disciplinary committe. It is by doing things like these that advanced countries have developed better systems.
Save for doing the above, i see all the complaints on this
forum as meaningless rants which will achieve nothing.

PrecisionFx:
Your thoughts about the Nigerian doctors that u have met.

bornolowu:
the doctor should have told you the diagnosis and the cause. I wont want to make excuses for him but be informed that the doctor patient ratio in nigeria about 1: 10000 as against 1:400 abroad and WHO standard . That simple means doctors here are skewed to give you this kind of services until nigeria changes. Secondly you are wrong on that specialists should not attend to cases outside their specialty, Every good doctor knows when to refer . Well like amarabae said you know the diagnosis why not google it. Must you be spoonfed. The energy it took you to write this up is enough to learn of the condition and note that is what is done abroad. All patients know their condition. They even know the treatment. Please grow up. You want to be treated like patients are treated abroad ( one doctor to 400 patients yet patients read about their condition before coming) but you don't want to learn basic things about your condition like patients do abroad( despite one doctor to 10000 patients and none payment of salary). And note you can't generalise doctors are the best people I have meant in life . God bless!!!!

IMASTEX:
MissJoy29
Nigerians are very religious not because they truly loved or want to serve God. It is simply the last thing to give them hope. Go to an hospital for treatment of leg injury. If you're very very lucky to live there alive. Be rest assured you will live with head, hand, back injuries. My sister went for typhoid treatment in a Federal Teaching Hospital. Guess what?! She ended up almost having a total ear damage occasioned by the doctors prescription.

cassyrooy:
Lol! Amarabae, biko who suspended your brain?
If you tell me the side effects of any treatment, I can opt out of it, or better still get ready for it.

The op wanting to know anything about her own health is largely her right, as does anyone out there. Whichever medical practitioner that hoard information from patients is nothing but a murderer in the making, he or she is likely to kill them slowly.

To the topic:
Same thing happened to me within the last 2weeks, I fell sick very close to exams and I visited the school clinic, after dragging over 2hrs waiting at the lobby, I finally met a doctor who was nice, Dr. Shittu (whom have handled me before), he spoke with sensitive and knowledge to lemme know about my situation.

I did test and returned the next day, I met another Doctor who just asked questions based on crammed symptoms and experience, I got drugs and took them, honestly, they didn't work.

Rather, I felt nausea and extreme loss of energy and strength, I had to discontinue the drugs some days to my exams cos, I better manage myself than swallow drugs that can't cure what kept me sick.

@MissJoy29 and everyone out there, medical practitioners are just largely ignorant most of the times, manner of speaking is not empathetic, consultation, empirical analysis of sickness have been misused by Nigerian health workers.

My advice, when you visit the hospital, watch carefully how they behave to you, to avoid being treated for other health issues as another.

Cmanforall:
I will give you detailed response soon. I sympathize with some of your experiences
It's unfortunate that you had some bad experiences with your encounter with some doctors. It is sad to see the deplorable state of the health care system in Nigeria, and yet nothing is done. Budget allocation to health is approximately 7%, against the Abuja declaration to fund healthcare with 15% of annual budget. I am not justifying the poor communication of some doctors, but just giving this for a general view on the healthcare system.
Back to OP, it is good you acknowledged some good encounters with doctors. There's no problem with any doctor asking you questions and listening to make a diagnosis, however one should also be free to express himself even outside the questions posed by the doctor. It would be doubtful to believe any doctor would tell a patient to SHUT UP! while he/she's explaining her symptoms. I am not defending any 'arrogant' or 'boastful' doctor, perhaps it is individualistic, and not professional, and shouldn't be!
OP, from your story, I can imagine you have been mostly seeking tertiary healthcare services (teaching hospitals); and the few private hospitals you visited, might as well be run by one of the specialists in the teaching hospitals.
OP, you will agree that the conditions in teaching hospitals are different from private clinics, in terms of patients load, care, etc. A doctor should not rush you out of her clinic despite the long waiting queue, which by the way, you witnessed. Although some people will say they are stressed and worn out, which should also be put into consideration since they are human. It will be nice if patients (some highly-placed/their relatives/journalists etc) also raise these issues for the MD, or whoever that is incharge of recruiting to increase the number of working staff ( nurses etc inclusive). Those guys in teaching hospitals are being overworked. Nigeria falls below the WHO critical line for doctors, nurses and midwives. Simply put, the burden on the healthcare professionals is increasing especially with their massive exodus abroad.

Cmanforall:
I will give you detailed response soon. I sympathize with some of your experiences
It's unfortunate that you had some bad experiences with your encounter with some doctors. It is sad to see the deplorable state of the health care system in Nigeria, and yet nothing is done. Budget allocation to health is approximately 7%, against the Abuja declaration to fund healthcare with 15% of annual budget. I am not justifying the poor communication of some doctors, but just giving this for a general view on the healthcare system.
Back to OP, it is good you acknowledged some good encounters with doctors. There's no problem with any doctor asking you questions and listening to make a diagnosis, however one should also be free to express himself even outside the questions posed by the doctor. It would be doubtful to believe any doctor would tell a patient to SHUT UP! while he/she's explaining her symptoms. I am not defending any 'arrogant' or 'boastful' doctor, perhaps it is individualistic, and not professional, and shouldn't be!
OP, from your story, I can imagine you have been mostly seeking tertiary healthcare services (teaching hospitals); and the few private hospitals you visited, might as well be run by one of the specialists in the teaching hospitals.
OP, you will agree that the conditions in teaching hospitals are different from private clinics, in terms of patients load, care, etc. A doctor should not rush you out of her clinic despite the long waiting queue, which by the way, you witnessed. Although some people will say they are stressed and worn out, which should also be put into consideration since they are human. It will be nice if patients (some highly-placed/their relatives/journalists etc) also raise these issues for the MD, or whoever that is incharge of recruiting to increase the number of working staff ( nurses etc inclusive). Those guys in teaching hospitals are being overworked. Nigeria falls below the WHO critical line for doctors, nurses and midwives. Simply put, the burden on the healthcare professionals is increasing especially with their massive exodus abroad.

Smooth278:
I'm happy that at least you are honest enough to acknowledge the fact that you have a bad perception of the medical profession....

By "majority" I am responding to your original post where you claimed to have met several doctors for consultation and only one was humane...

Is it possible that your negative orientation could be clouding your perceptive lens?

Is it also possible that this could affect the way and manner in which you ask questions? When questions are asked nicely its unlikely that the doctor in question will answer in a rude manner.. Yes clients should be treated in a dignified manner as persons but we should also know that the healthcare provider is a person also who should also be treated with respect and dignity... A great proportion of medical doctors and other healthcare workers have received verbal and physical abuse from their clients...

Servicom works in most tertiary hospitals so if you feel that you have been treated poorly then lodge a report with them... It will definitely be investigated..

PS: for that "humane" doctor that attended to the op I say kudos keep it up and don't consider the constant bashing you see online...

Inricash:
For information sake if you go to the hospital just ask for the admin department and make your complaints...


I know a doctor that was once dismissed for misconduct...


But even if they don't get punished, doesn't mean we should not make complaint.. It's like not voting because you feel it would not count...


And like I said, the patient has the right to know everything and the doctor should always explain at least the basics in layman's terms and allay the fears of the patient if she wants to know....




Thanks for understanding



And it's good you speak out

sainty2k3:
We all erroneously believe we don't deal with life because you are a banker or IT person etc. Which is wrong ,a particular experience I had with the bank the money was needed for what could as well call 'between life and death' condition and there is the guy talking without sympathy or explanation. So everyone is guilty somewhere. A patient I am seeing at my leisure time (on a private basis) when I am not I a rush for other things will probably like me more than the one I am seeing at the 'mad house' health care facilities. As a matter of fact, in a clinic, most patient I see like me but the ones outside usually dislike me for taking so much time on one person, and when it is there turn they want you to listen not knowing that there are other patient somewhere probably cursing me for not attending to them on time

AlphaT1:
It is pathetic, to make it worse, the ones that don't know anything; I mean the half-baked ones are more proud and arrogant. My wife was in Nigeria last year and had vaginal itching. I know dis condition to be a fungal infection caused mostly by Candida spp. and I know the drugs very well: an antifungal cream, a vag. Pessary, oral antifungal(e.g fluco.., ketoco.. etc.), antihistamine, and perhaps an antibiotic.
But i asked her to visit a clinic n not do self medication, she went to one of the claimed best hospitals in town and was given ciprofloxacin, paracetamol and vitamin C tabs. She tried to tell d doc. what they normally give her over here but d doc. guy became angry that my wife was trying to teach him his job. To cut d story, I told her to throw away d paracetamol and vitamin C, go to a pharmacy n buy a single dose of cap. fluco..150mg, piriton and a fungal vag. Cream....and within two days it cleared like magic.
Some of them are killers not doctors!

lebete3000:
Choose anyone wey you want...if you know you know...

Smooth278:
If the doctor is too nice now they will say the doctor was toasting them lol...

Back to the topic, I believe every client should be treated with dignity, compassion and respect however the busy schedule, inadequate manpower, poor remuneration, poor conditions of service amongst other systemic issues also contribute to the problem and makes it difficult occasionally.

This does not totally excuse bad behaviour but helps to understand it. Imagine the OP having experienced the care given by a humane doctor with loads of empathy and the care issued by the "majority" by her estimation (which in my opinion is wrong) instead of putting up a post praising him for giving quality care she put up a post bashing all the doctors in the whole country. This just shows the negative perception of the op towards the medical professional...

Truth be told, the medical profession is an area where some slight semblance of competence still remains in Nigeria...