₦airaland Forum

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...

lebete3000:
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...

eyinjuege:
Again, i say dont be ignorant. Does it mean all workers in a bank have access to people's accounts?
Even if its computerised, the lab scientist / phlebotomist should have no access to the patient's records. That is what is called patient confidentiality. The application patient's records are kept should be secure, and no lab scientist (and definitely not a phlebotomist) should have access to your consultation with your Dr.
Even in developed countries, receptionist, lab scientists have no access to the records despite everything being on the computer. Nobody is defending mediocrity. Lab scientists/technicians also have certain questions they have to ask a patient before doing tests on them. It's as simple as that. If they dont ask those question, they would have failed their audit.
Your relative should have just answered the question. They may apologise in order to not make a fuss, and laugh at her ignorance behind her back but they did nothing wrong. It's just like a 65year old woman getting angry because x-ray people asked her when she last saw her period , and she knows she is in menopause. Guidelines and certain questions are put in place for a reason.
If you go to a hospital, 10 people can come and ask you the same question. It's to pick up things others may have missed, and to serve patient's interest at the end of the day.
It is standard practice worldwide.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!!

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

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.

Twoclans:
At OP you could not have said it any better ,I don't wish my enemy to have anything to do with Nigerian doctors as long as health is concerned .

I was at one of the general hospitals in Abuja last week with a senior colleague ,while her vitals were been taken the nurse was screaming out her details to the other nurse to write it down in her file in the presence of so many other patients also seated at the lobby waiting .She felt so embarrassed.

As if that was not enough ,when she got to the lab for specimen collection it was another drama completely. She was given a test to conduct after she sees her menses .This is a lady who had clearly told the doctor during consultation that her womb had already been removed .Biko where do they expect her to see blood from

If you are lucky to be healthy and have no business with the health care sector in Nigeria ,you can't understand what God has done for you.

Ballmer:
If every sector is allocated recommended % of National budget I doubt if health will get one kobo before the available % is exhausted. How about making judicious use of the 7% allocated, I can attest 5% will be lost / consumed / wasted to corruption abi all those doctor making noise for 15% are not Nigerians.

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.

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.

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.

phase1:
Sorry dear, I'm Medical Scientist my primary constituency is the medical laboratory. When she when there is an investigation or test to be investigated, there is a form called Laboratory request form, that form should communicate to the Laboratory personnel what test is being requested and WHY.
If you look at a standard Lab request form, it contain provision for 'provisional diagnosis', that is where the 'reason' for test being requested is documented for the perusal of the Scientist. In many cases our physician friends in the wards and consulting rooms hardly fill the documents properly, infact some just tear up a piece of paper, scribble down the test and hand it to the patient. It is wrong and it has caused a lot of miscommunication and ultimately misunderstanding in our hospitals.
In the hospital where I interned and served, we will reject the poorly filled lab request, document why we rejected it and ask for a new properly filled form.

Below is what a standard medical lab request form for hormonal test looks like.

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

MissJoy29:
Thank you sir.

Nobody knows about these points listed here & how the government is large lying at fault more than I do. You know why? I'm an educationist. The neglect there just like in the health sector affects everyone. But I will not excuse any teacher who feels he/she still wants to do her job irrespective of the decay in the sector to do a haphazard job.
In other words, the little ones you have to do within your capacity, do it well.

I know doctor-patient ratio is very high. But does that mean a patient shouldn't be adequately catered for? Most teachers in government schools work their asses off too. due to work load. But I won't excuse that teacher for trying to cut corners to make things easier for him or her but affects everyone on the long run.

The thing is, a lot of doctors are just in the profession because they think it's a fast & legal way to make money. They are not passionate. That's my take.

Twoclans:
This particular hospital is observing the paperless policy which is the current trend in every industry that understands its onions. The patient I went with did not hold any paper when she went to the lab section of the hospital because every details, requests ,payments ,next appointment etc can be accessed on the system by authorized staff. The issue I raised had nothing to do with paper or no paper. The issue I raised was with the hospital staff discussing a patients vitals and test requirements/results loudly to the hearing of other patients and visitors ,even when the hospital has provided stationary and well carved out areas for patients confidentiality.

The second day when my colleague registered her displeasure they showed her the paper already provided by the hospital were the staff just needs to scribble down the vitals and move to the computer to input the details instead of screaming to a fellow colleague across the room the details of a patients vitals for imputation. You can imagine your blood pressure reading screamed across a room and 30 other people will know you are hypertensive .It is quite embarrassing .Some hypertensive patients do not want anybody to know they are hypertensive.

I am really amazed at how the medical practitioners on this thread are defending what needs not be defended. It truly shows that there is no future for Nigeria and its painful.I don't know when Nigeria will get it right with service.

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

MissJoy29:
@Amarabae, what you just typed, does it sound right to you?

Besides, where in my post did I mention the word "offence"?

I have recurring ear ache that comes like every 2 years.

phase1:
The paperless electronic system which is also called the Hospital Information system (HIS) provides more avenue for even more information-sharing in saner climes in order to promote communication among professionals and minimize errors, that was the purpose of it's development of HIS in advanced countries. But in Nigeria ofcourse the same lackadaisical attitude is still exhibited, paper or electronic method, it is what is put in that the other professional will get. Garbage in, Garbage out.

While the rest of sane world think of ways to make difficult things simple, I think the black man has a way of trying to make easy things difficult. It's a systemic problem my sister.

Nihilstjnr:
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Diamond360:


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

drlaykay:
Lol
Can't stop laughing, this one weak me o.

MissJoy29:
Now I understand. Typical of most of them.

See the way she attacked me. Lol