optm:
docs re not all knowing . there are some situations we run out of ideas and comming up with a diagnosis may not be instant nd may require sending for further tests, sharing with colleagues and consulting other academic mediums. there are even cases one may not even b able to come up with a diagnosis even after al these. knowledge is continually acquired and experiences teaches us aswell.

Nobody is all knowing. That's one thing we should know. Even the Oxford University Press Team aren't.

But take for example, you are a teacher, and a child comes to you for learning, will you be antagonistic towards him/her because you don't know what to teach? Why shouldn't you? That's why you are a teacher. But let's assume you weren't prepared for a particular question you were asked by a student, the way you respond matters. In such a case, I tell my students that I will get back to them. Politely, but not shutting them up or make them feel bad for asking.

You grab?

MissJoy29:

Nobody is all knowing. That's one thing we should know. Even the Oxford University Press Team aren't.

But take for example, you are a teacher, and a child comes to you for learning, will you be antagonistic towards him/her because you don't know what to teach? Why shouldn't you? That's why you are a teacher. But let's assume you weren't prepared for the particular question you were asked, the way you respond matters. In such a case, I tell my students that I will get back to them. Politely, but not shutting them up or make them feel bad for asking.

You grab?

yes i do. communicating rightly is very key in handling these situations.

The bad experience I had was that a staff who was supposed to collect my card and locate my file refused to do that, he was just sitting there not doing anything, I was talking to him and he completely ignored me while 2 other people gave him their cards he collected and me that I even came before them he refused to collect my own card then I got so angry, I did not know when i started punching him in the face, I even took a chair and tried to bash his head with it but people came and stoped me from doing so. Then one of the staff's apologised and ushered me to go and see the doctor immediately even though my file was not located by that bastard.
When I left the hospital, I tore my card and threw it away, I swore to myself that I'm not going back to that hospital.

optm:
yes i do. communicating rightly is very key in handling these situations.

Thank you.

mhd5757:
The bad experience I had was that a staff who was supposed to collect my card and locate my file refused to do that, he was just sitting there not doing anything, I was talking to him and he completely ignored me while 2 other people gave him their cards he collected and me that I even came before them he refused to collect my own card then I got so angry, I did not know when i started punching him in the face, I even took a chair and tried to bash his head with it but people came and stoped me from doing so. Then one of the staff's apologised and ushered me to go and see the doctor immediately even though my file was not located by that bastard.
When I left the hospital, I tore my card and threw it away, I swore to myself that I'm not going back to that hospital.

Are you serious? True life story?

MissJoy29:

Are you serious? True life story?

Yes I'm not fukin joking, it happened in gwarimpa General hospital, everybody saw it, I'm sure is something they will not forget.

mhd5757:

Yes I'm not fukin joking, it happened in gwarimpa General hospital, everybody saw it, I'm sure is something they will not forget.

Jeez! I can't even begin to imagine how frustrated and exasperated you were before lashing out like that.

.Sorry about it sha!

MissJoy29:

Jeez! I can't even begin to imagine how frustrated and exasperated you were before lashing out like that.

.Sorry about it sha!

You are telling someone that assaulted a health worker sorry after listening to only his side of the story... Bad perception about the health care system or not, what is wrong is wrong...

mhd5757:
The bad experience I had was that a staff who was supposed to collect my card and locate my file refused to do that, he was just sitting there not doing anything, I was talking to him and he completely ignored me while 2 other people gave him their cards he collected and me that I even came before them he refused to collect my own card then I got so angry, I did not know when i started punching him in the face, I even took a chair and tried to bash his head with it but people came and stoped me from doing so. Then one of the staff's apologised and ushered me to go and see the doctor immediately even though my file was not located by that bastard.
When I left the hospital, I tore my card and threw it away, I swore to myself that I'm not going back to that hospital.

You should be ashamed of your actions and not bragging on social media about it... In a sane country you would be in jail for assault and battery + attempted murder if care is not taken... The appropriate action would have been to report the staff to a superior authority if you felt the quality of service was suboptimum...

Smooth278:


You are telling someone that assaulted a health worker sorry after listening to only his side of the story... Bad perception about the health care system or not, what is wrong is wrong...

If I see the health worker and also listen to his/her side of the story, I might say "sorry" too.

But did you read his story carefully and try to put yourself in his shoe? I did, that's why I related. You yourself may never know how you will react if you were the one. The sorry I told him was cos of the way he was probably feeling before the assault.

in other news, a doctor went to a tailor's shop, and the tailor charged him more than he would usually charge other people, because he's a doctor.

I know it doesn't really relate to the topic, but then...

ugooo88:
in other news, a doctor went to a tailor's shop, and the tailor charged him more than he would usually charge other people, because he's a doctor.

I know it doesn't really relate to the topic, but then...

Yeah. It doesn't.


Besides, how would the tailor know his/her client is a doctor?

MissJoy29:

If I see the health worker and also listen to his/her side of the story, I might say "sorry" too.

But did you read his story carefully and try to put yourself in his shoe? I did, that's why I related. You yourself may never know how you will react if you were the one. The sorry I told him was cos of the way he was probably feeling before the assault.

Sorry but I think you have lost the point, there is no explaining assault and battery away regardless of what may have happened... Its almost like domestic violence, it should be condemned in the strongest way possible. The reason we are human is because we have executive functions, we can reason before actions and not just react to issues with violence... There is no one who has not been provoked to anger but the issue is taking it to the violence stage is extreme and wrong... A lot of people have been in worse situations and didn't react with violence...

ugooo88:
in other news, a doctor went to a tailor's shop, and the tailor charged him more than he would usually charge other people, because he's a doctor.

I know it doesn't really relate to the topic, but then...

That's what we see everyday here, I now go to places with fixed prices for everyone so as not to be cheated... Mechanics, cobblers, tailors, the market woman all trying to cheat you once they know you are a doctor...

Next time, disguise in casual wear and go to an unfamiliar place

Smooth278:


Sorry but I think you have lost the point, there is no explaining assault and battery away regardless of what may have happened... Its almost like domestic violence, it should be condemned in the strongest way possible. The reason we are human is because we have executive functions, we can reason before actions and not just react to issues with violence... There is no one who has not been provoked to anger but the issue is taking it to the violence stage is extreme and wrong... A lot of people have been in worse situations and didn't react with violence...

You are right. What he did was wrong no doubt. I wasn't supporting him when I said "sorry" to him. But I have seen really rude, mannerless and non-chalant attendants in the hospital. I put myself in his shoes and imagined waiting to be attended to & I'm sidestepped only because I didn't grease the palm of the attendants. It will be worse if I'm in pains Such things should be unheard of in a hospital.

Btw, are you a doctor?

MissJoy29:

Yeah. It doesn't.


Besides, how would the tailor know his/her client is a doctor?

you live in a neighborhood/community. one way or another, people know you. I've once had a keke man, who I didn't know, insist on dropping me off in front of my house, a little distance from their bus stop.

ugooo88:


you live in a neighborhood/community. one way or another, people know you. I've once had a keke man, who I didn't know, insist on dropping me off in front of my house, a little distance from their bus stop.

Hmmmm....you are right.

In that case, sorry people are over billing you. They know you earn enough money. Lol.













Just kidding though.

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.

Everything you wrote up here is on point. I actually share such views about the medical profession. Read through some of the comments and I think both sides of the argument have enriched the discussion sufficiently.

Will digress to something that I feel is equally important. Have you found answers, the cause and the solution to the recurring ear problem yet?

MissJoy29:

You are right. What he did was wrong no doubt. I wasn't supporting him when I said "sorry" to him. But I have seen really rude, mannerless and non-chalant attendants in the hospital. I put myself in his shoes and imagined waiting to be attended to & I'm sidestepped only because I didn't grease the palm of the attendants. It will be worse if I'm in pains Such things should be unheard of in a hospital.

Btw, are you a doctor?

yeah i am...

Smooth278:
yeah i am...

I suspected.

DeeMain:


Everything you wrote up here is on point. I actually share such views about the medical profession. Read through some of the comments and I think both sides of the argument have enriched the discussion sufficiently.

Will digress to something that I feel is equally important. Have you found answers, the cause and the solution to the recurring ear problem yet?

I couldn't agree more with your first paragraph. I learnt a lot on this thread. I'm in a much better position to understand our doctors more although they also need to step up more.

I haven't found answers yet. 3 weeks after; visiting the hospital 3 times; even overdosing on pain killers & ear drops; going through mind blowing physical pain, I still haven't found answers. But I will still continue to search for it.
Thanks for asking.

MissJoy29:

I couldn't agree more with your first paragraph. I learnt a lot on this thread. I'm in a much better position to understand our doctors more although they also need to step up more.

I haven't found answers yet. 3 weeks after; visiting the hospital 3 times; even overdosing on pain killers & ear drops; going through mind blowing physical pain, I still haven't found answers. But I will still continue to search for it.
Thanks for asking.

If you are in Lagos, go to GH at CMS. They have ear specialists there.

babajeje123:
If you are in Lagos, go to GH at CMS. They have ear specialists there.

Really? Thanks a lot.

I am a Nigerian medical doctor. Although, I studied abroad. I’m not here to debate the attitude of Nigerian medical doctors. Follow my website www.abcstrength.com for more on fitness and health. Cheers

MissJoy29:

I couldn't agree more with your first paragraph. I learnt a lot on this thread. I'm in a much better position to understand our doctors more although they also need to step up more.

I haven't found answers yet. 3 weeks after; visiting the hospital 3 times; even overdosing on pain killers & ear drops; going through mind blowing physical pain, I still haven't found answers. But I will still continue to search for it.
Thanks for asking.

Okay cool.

If you are in the place where you are now willing and ready to look at alternative answers, diagnosis of cause and solutions you can pm me so we can have a healthy discussion about it.

I am a certified health coach and therapist and healed myself of an autoimmune disease. Just so you know where I'm coming from.

DeeMain:


Okay cool.

If you are in the place where you are now willing and ready to look at alternative answers, diagnosis of cause and solutions you can pm me so we can have a healthy discussion about it.

I am a certified health coach and therapist and healed myself of an autoimmune disease. Just so you know where I'm coming from.

Ok cool. Thanks.

mhd5757:
The bad experience I had was that a staff who was supposed to collect my card and locate my file refused to do that, he was just sitting there not doing anything, I was talking to him and he completely ignored me while 2 other people gave him their cards he collected and me that I even came before them he refused to collect my own card then I got so angry, I did not know when i started punching him in the face, I even took a chair and tried to bash his head with it but people came and stoped me from doing so. Then one of the staff's apologised and ushered me to go and see the doctor immediately even though my file was not located by that bastard.
When I left the hospital, I tore my card and threw it away, I swore to myself that I'm not going back to that hospital.

You have derailed from the topic.

millionboi:
sorry is not limited to med lab tech,is in all sector.

And it is foolish of u not to know dat microbiology is part of medicine.

It's then and not now, MCB graduates are not allowed to work in hospitals. Do a thorough finding, MLS has taken the position. slowpoke

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.

Joy me kwa?!!!! Longestttttt time? Hw u dey?

Maduawuchukwu:

Joy me kwa?!!!! Longestttttt time? Hw u dey?

You?? I called you several times. Sent texts. Nothing! And to think I just mistakenly clicked on "my profile" & saw that you posted something on this thread. I wouldn't have seen it. You could have just easily sent a pm.


I'm fine and you?