₦airaland Forum

Amarabae:
Having gone through your post, I really don't see how the doctors you met offended you,
You came for treatment to be well and not for an interview class with the doc, there are crowd waiting also to be attended to.
If he diagnose you, you have a phone, when you get home, you browse about the issue.
Simple.
You should not be in hospital to count which health professional laughed with you, you should be there to get help and go

most times you try avoid commenting. cos what you wrote depict what a foolish person always say,but if you think otherwise I wish you have some experience with them soon. Pls don't bother quoting me in any way, as am already believe that they may be no sense in it.

iamfromlagos:
My sister had a near death experience with her baby at one of these private hospitals. She had just birthed a baby and she discovered that the baby's eyes were yellow and that it wasn't breathing normally which she reported to the Doctor. Then the Doctor told her it wasn't something serious so she was discharged a few days later. On getting home she discovered the yellowy eyes weren't subsiding and the breathing would not normalize, she was told to come back. When she went back she was told the baby had a hole in the heart and that they thought it would close up itself.
They had to fly the baby to India for surgery.
I'm not saying it was their fault the baby had a hole in the heart but they wanted to make profit at the detriment of people's lives. Of course they went back to the hospital and were billed separately from the previous consultation.

My dear, thank God for the life of your sister and her baby.

I can't begin to count the number of times these private hospitals play with human life & actually lose them in a bid to make money instead of referring to specialists.

I recall one incident where I had an ear infection and I went to a private hospital. Two actually. One even used an otoscope to check the ear and I'm sure he saw particles there that needed to be removed first. But what did he do? He gave me an eardrop which is to be put on top of the particles/pus. Lol.
The other just prescribed drugs and that was it. But when the pains even increased, I ran to a government hospital. An E.N.T specialist handled me & I got insrant relief. That singular experience became a deciding factor as to why I prefer government hospitals to private hospitals.

Glorygrace:
@MissJoy29.I agree with you on the above subject matter. That was how they allowed my baby die and said God called him. I was so annoyed and wanted to sue the consultant. Now the O and G consultant want to be a governor of the State.

However some of them are humane just few of them. My younger brother is an ENT specialist doctor. All the best.

I'm so sorry dear for the loss of your baby. Please take heart.

Imagine? And he will probably allow other incompetent doctors like him to be employed when the time comes.

Oh I know some of them are humane. But they are so few they are almost not noticed. I hope your brother is kindhearted. Lol.
All the best to you all too.

Mizwisdom:
You have raised some good points. Thank you for raising these issues.

Thanks dear.

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.

Are kidding or what.

Tonymario58:
Are you a chronic disease patient?

SMH for you.

sainty2k3:
I could also write about the attitude of my Bank's customer service rep. The policemen, Even mechanics. So doctors are not human again? There are good ones and bad ones.
The system ain't helping. Like today I had to see patients in 4different wards , wide apart. And then this patient brought up same issue we have discussed overtime. I had to cut her, she could call me arrogant but I did that for the sake of the other patients waiting.

At least you were objective & also not hsrsh
in your reply here. That's a plus for you.

Yes, there are good and bad people everywhere. But with doctors, it's so different & noticeable. Why? Lives are at stake sir!

A little change could be the difference between life and death.

lebete3000:
Soon and very soon, the heartless doctors will be scooped by foolish countries that don't know what they're doing and you'll eventually get the heartful doctor you've always dreamt of.

Pls just bear with us for the time being...

Lol. I really can't tell whether you are being sarcastic or just plain humorous.

happybrother:
Are kidding or what.

He's definitely kidding. It will be a "crime" to say what he/she just said.

Sorry but the true must be told. The same doctor that u thought he didn't attend to you, has several patients waiting for him, don't be surprised as he is finishing the clinic he attention is already needed in the ward n patient may be waiting for him as well in theatre.
And funnily, he may be the one on call. If u know how Nigeria doctors bn over stressed just date one of them.
In a serious note, just advice our govt to employ more hands.
Thanks

Sultan5:
I totally agree with your conclusions. I think the problem begins with how doctors are trained. Most times we focus on the academic side more than the social part of the job hence the poor social skills.

I also feel the lack of a really strong and effective regulatory board for medical practitioners plays a major role. A few days ago there was a post here where some doctors took pictures while operating on a patient. If that were to happen in US or UK, those doctors won't still be practicing medicine. There's simply a level of impunity in the medical profession that shouldn't just be so. Ethics is now foreign in Nigeria health sector where it should be the driving force.

Imagine telling a patient the root cause of their sickness is a big problem. How is with holding that information in anyway helping them? Well I don't blame them 100% sha, they are working under very poor conditions. From finance to equipments and the likes. I feel a lot need to be invested in the health sector for there to be a rapid change.

Healthcare, security and education are the most important sector in any sane country. And should not be joked with but in Nigeria the opposite is the case.

Thank you very much sir a million times for this post! You couldn't have said things any better. All your points are majorly the problems we are facing. And the blame goes all round too not just to the doctors.

Your last paragraph is spot on! I'm a teacher so I know. It hurts to see how the sector is being neglected even above the others.

Thank you.

shugabasbn:
Sorry but the true must be told. The same doctor that u thought he didn't attend to you, has several patients waiting for him, don't be surprised as he is finishing the clinic he attention is already needed in the ward n patient may be waiting for him as well in theatre.
And funnily, he may be the one on call. If u know how Nigeria doctors bn over stressed just date one of them.
In a serious note, just advice our govt to employ more hands.
Thanks

I know they are over stressed. But you know it's not all of them.

I'm not telling them to give us the whole time in the world, we are telling them to make the little they can spare for us count. Do well, that which is worth doing.

Thanks.

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...

omooba969:
Amarabae is defending her corner , if you know what I mean....she's a n_rse, I guess.

Now I understand. Typical of most of them.

See the way she attacked me. Lol

MissJoy29:
At least you were objective & also not hsrsh
in your reply here. That's a plus for you.

Yes, there are good and bad people everywhere. But with doctors, it's so different & noticeable. Why? Lives are at stake sir!

A little change could be the difference between life and death.

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

MissJoy29:
Lol. I really can't tell whether you are being sarcastic or just plain humorous.

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

cosmatika:
Forget dis ppl bro. They just hate on Drs for no reason. Psn go suffer JOHESU wahala finish, one difficult patient will take to NL to vent her frustration

MissJoy29:
I just hope this writing will be able to adequately capture my frustration, disappointment & dissatisfaction with the Nigeria Medical Doctors in particular & the Health sector in general.
I also apologise in advance for the long post.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been sceptical about going to hospitals. The attitude of the health workers there are nothing to write home about. Both the private and the public hospitals. Even though I still believe that public hospitals are far better than the private hospitals(especially the average ones) in terms of quality service(although you run the risk of dying before you are attended to due to how slow they are).

There are so many anomalies in our hospitals. I have seen & heard really bizzare stuffs going on. From the nonchalant, impatient and highly unprofessional attitude of the attendants, the unhealthy environment, the cranky and harsh attitude of the nurses, the fact that there's also "who you know mentality" when lives are at stake, the subtle way they bill you unnecessarily by paying for almost everything you do in the hospital(consultation fee, file retrieval fee, unit fee, buying of this & that for your treatment that you will end up leaving for them), the lack of medical equipment, the walking up & down paying for one thing or another at different times(even when you are not fit)instead of paying at once,the number of unqualified & seasoned doctors, the location of a hospital's laboratory on the last floor of a three-storey building(like, who does that!!!!), the high cost of drugs and other medical supplies in the hospital's pharmacy as opposed to their cost outside etc.

But I have a particular area I want to focus on.

THE ATTITUDE OF THE NIGERIAN DOCTOR
This thread was born out of my experiences this week at a teaching hospital. These experiences brought back all the others I have had to push to the back of my mind a long time ago for lack of an appropriate channel to express them. For the purpose of this thread, I'm going to use my experiences at ABSUTH (Abia State Teaching Hospital), LASUTH (Lagos State Teaching Hospital), LUTH (Lagos University Teaching Hospital), National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi & few private hospitals as yardsticks to buttress my grievances. I'm also going to put into consideration, the attitude of my close friends who are medical personnels.

Note: I'm not here to compare hospitals. I'm only using them to show that the attitudes of the doctors I met there may actually be same(or at least, almost same) with all of them in the country.

Firstly, if I have met 15 medical doctors, only 1 turned out to be sympathetic and humane. Apart from my family doctors and this sympathetic doctor, I don't think I will ever recognise any of the doctors I have seen again. But after 5 years or so, I still recognised him when I saw him again recently at same hospital(and I have memory problems) Why? He was probably the first doctor I ever saw who actually listened cos they WANT TO not cos they HAVE TO. There's a big difference. Most of them just hear you. They don't listen & they don't allow you talk. That's why they ask you questions based on what THEY THINK you feel & not on what you KNOW you feel.

Secondly, these doctors (except my humane doctor) make it look as if they are doing you a favour when they tell you about your ailment. It's as if they want you to pay consultation fees before they explain in details what you are passing through. What am I saying? One actually told me that! Inasmuch as I think majority of them don't actually know their profession that well, I still wonder why they choose to withhold & hoard information. It's bad enough they don't tell on their own without being asked. But it's even worse they withhold when asked. I have recurring ear ache that comes like every 2 years. This time around I asked the doctor (on the advice of a friend) what the cause of the problem is so I can avoid it. And he opened his mouth & said to me, "get solution first. What do you need the cause for? I was stunned to say the least!
Thirdly, they are always very harsh & impatient. You come in to a doctor's office, 30 seconds later, you are out with a piece of paper filled with their illegible writing just cos they are more concerned with what they are scribbling based on what they THINK you are going through than on what you are actually saying. They are hurrying to see as many patients as possible to collect as much money from them as possible and also to go to their private clinics. So no adequate time allocated to a patient.

Again, because of the attitude of some of these doctors, I'm really not surprised why I detest private hospitals because majorly, they are still the ones that establish it. The main reason why I hardly go to private hospitals is because I don't understand why someone will be, say an E.N.T doctor in a public hospital, but will end up being a GENERAL practitioner in his/her private hospital. They are now automatic Ob/gyn, optometrist, dentists, surgeons, paediatricians etc. I can't count the number of times they have mistreated cases they are supposed to refer to specialists like professionals do.

After venting like this, I'd like to hear from the house. Knowing that people in the medical profession are supposed to be warm, humane, sympathetic, kind, friendly, patient, a listener, polite, knowledgeable, seasoned, capable etc, why then do you think most Nigerian medical doctors are cold, nonchalant, impatient, unkind, harsh, rude, condescending? Is it because that's who they are normally or are there some things in the sector and/or in the training process that turn & change them into the aforementioned? Doctors in the house & non-doctors like me, over to you.

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!

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...

Out of everything you wrote here, I chose the bolded because it sounds objective enough for me. And you also addressed the issue at hand.

Because I really don't understand what you mean by "majority" in the third paragraph. Truth be told, I have a negative perception towards the medical profession. And it's not just because of my experiences.

@last paragraph, do you actually believe that?

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

Ok sir.

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

If you explain from now till tomorrow, it won't change the Nigerian patient's perception of you. Nigerians crave scandal, drama and controversy and will NEVER let go despite evidence to the contrary. Trying to let them see its all propaganda will ennervate and bore them to death. So I just indulge them.

The same Nigerians that'll still argue with you that Toyota is far better than a Benz just to cling on to a popular but false lingo and balm their ego...

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!

Imagine! So pathetic.

@bolded, you are spot on! They always behave like they are all knowing! It has happened to me too. Even now, the drug I'm usually given for an ear infection that use to work like magic wasn't the one they gave me this time around & I'm not feeling the usual relief I use to feel. I can't even open my mouth to tell them that. I can imagine their response.

I agree with you. The half baked ones are actually the arrogant ones. You are right.

Tellemall:
why should a patient pay consultation fees to see a doctor, when they could just Google it, right? Doctors like whining about their pay, why didn't they read botany or accounting instead? A patient must pay before treatment so explain to them why doctors are never paid. If you are not paid as a doctor it is not your patients fault. They have paid to see you so treat them with respect and tell them what is wrong. The two minutes a doctor uses to explain will make the patient make better health choices and reduce this alleged workload. Doctors appear to be the cause of their problems, so why do they take it out on innocent people? When you want to build a house, the people doing it will explain it to you on their time. But suddenly to explain to a patient has made doctors too aware of their time. Bloody arrogance.

you are still getting it wrong.write your symptoms put it on Google doctor and get a diagnosis will never take the place of a doctor. It only aids the ease of services. IF you read me very well you will see I admitted the doctor should have told her the cause of the ailment, that's what so many doctors do here in Nigeria (well except Lagos teaching hospitals. I have experienced it too) but she must help herself. Your "doctor appear to be the cause of their problem shows your level of ignorance and I regret taking time to reply an ignoramus. Peace with you!!

Tellemall:
why should a patient pay consultation fees to see a doctor, when they could just Google it, right? Doctors like whining about their pay, why didn't they read botany or accounting instead? A patient must pay before treatment so explain to them why doctors are never paid. If you are not paid as a doctor it is not your patients fault. They have paid to see you so treat them with respect and tell them what is wrong. The two minutes a doctor uses to explain will make the patient make better health choices and reduce this alleged workload. Doctors appear to be the cause of their problems, so why do they take it out on innocent people? When you want to build a house, the people doing it will explain it to you on their time. But suddenly to explain to a patient has made doctors too aware of their time. Bloody arrogance.

you are still getting it wrong.write your symptoms put it on Google doctor and get a diagnosis will never take the place of a doctor. It only aids the ease of services. IF you read me very well you will see I admitted the doctor should have told her the cause of the ailment, that's what so many doctors do here in Nigeria (well except some doctors in Lagos state teaching hospitals. I have experienced it too) but she must help herself. Your "doctor appear to be the cause of their problem" shows your level of ignorance and I regret taking time to reply an ignoramus( I didnt see that part on time). Peace with you!!

In accordance with the patient's bill of right, you have every right to ask questions about your disease condition and it is the duty of a doctor to explain everything to you in details, the fact that you're ill does not make you inferior, here in Nigeria we accord medical doctors so much respect and that always makes them feel superior.

MissJoy29:
You have made some valid points.

I know it's not the fault of the doctor that the hospitals are under staffed and they have to see a lot of patients than they can handle but it's also certainly not the fault of the patients and it won't be fair to take out the frustrations on them even though I know the tendency to do that is there. The doctor is there to make the patient feel better not worse.

Btw, you want to report a medical doctor? To whom? The hospital management? Where will you even find them because it's likely no one will point the "management" to you as they want to protect their own. Even if they do, what will happen? This is Nigeria for goodness sake!

Again, the time spent with doctors that I'm talking about is not gisting time. You don't need the whole day to explain to the patient what is wrong, the causes, prevention and subsequently, treatment. I have the right to that information as a patient & anything other than that is unprofessional. Some nurses don't even know the name of the injection they are giving you. You ask, they ask you why you didn't ask the doctor. You get the chance to ask the doctor, they ask you why you want to know. Isn't the most important thing getting healed? Like seriously!

I want us to be objective here. My post wasn't made to attack anyone. It's to find out why things are the way they are.

The ones that are in our power to do, let's do it well.
Thank you.

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

Hmmm....I'm confused here.

You made a point where you mentioned the banker that probably withheld your money that could be used for an urgent issue. I see your point. Anyone could be a life saver.
But not everyone gets to save lives EVERYDAY. Lol

Any little thing you need to do to make the patient feel comfy and recover quickly, do it. Nothing is inconsequential.
Thanks.

Savage response for the month of August

Collins4u1:
if you must know, it's not on every post you will comment. sometimes just read and learn.

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

Ok. I will remember your advice.

Thanks. I appreciate.

Amarabae:
Having gone through your post, I really don't see how the doctors you met offended you,
You came for treatment to be well and not for an interview class with the doc, there are crowd waiting also to be attended to.
If he diagnose you, you have a phone, when you get home, you browse about the issue.
Simple.
You should not be in hospital to count which health professional laughed with you, you should be there to get help and go

You're on counter 11 already. Can't you just understand instead of relating the norm, which is wrong to start with?

MissJoy29:
Out of everything you wrote here, I chose the bolded because it sounds objective enough for me. And you also addressed the issue at hand.

Because I really don't understand what you mean by "majority" in the third paragraph. Truth be told, I have a negative perception towards the medical profession. And it's not just because of my experiences.

@last paragraph, do you actually believe that?

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...

Like giving malaria prescription for typhoid!!!

a pity!!