₦airaland Forum

@OP

there is nothing like selective justice. . . That is your perception of justice which is extremely subjective. (that is why we need the law to prove that the people to be punished are indeed guilty of the crimes which they are accused) From that, you'll see another aspect to justice, and that is law enforcement, which has to be up to par to be able to locate and arrest the criminals with enough evidence to guarantee a conviction.

Justice is something which is continuous, and all over the world you find criminals in operation despite "justice". This happens because of the steps involved in the whole justice process. These steps seem long, but i know it was put in place to protect people from being wrongly accused, therefore, you have to prove a person guilty beyond reasonable doubt before you can have them convicted. That doesn't imply selective justice, it only confirms that it is a continuous and sometimes slow process which will continue to consume the criminally minded.

And to create a balance in life, as justice catches up with criminals, new criminals will be made.

So, the fact that some criminal roams free today says absolutely nothing about the process of justice, because the process never stops, and tomorrow just might be their unlucky day!

truly:
Really!
Why should we suddenly become critical of newspaper reports
Did we not abuse the illiterates in the North, Turai and Yaradua based on the most unbelievable stories in the press?
Why should we rapidly recover from that hangover?

Believing every junk we hear makes us even more illiterate.

Lots of industries in Naija are not well regulated including journalism. Keep believing all these junk and you'll spend endless hours arguing over something that was never worth anything.

makajibbz:
boss sjeezy8,
the question you should asx ''where's the end of the road''?

Bros,

There is no end. Let us start by doing the little bit we can.

A very simple example is not throwing trash in the streets. that is very common in Naija, and lots of people are responsible.

We will complain that government doesn't provide adequate refuse disposal, but i doubt that many will use it if it was available.

Let us be responsible for the trash we create. It is not all government, we have contributed immensely to the rot, and we expect the government to also be responsible for some things that should be our personal responsibilities.

Life is hard on a lot of people and we all have our own tales of bitterness to tell, but despite all that, we need help from others at one time or the other to pull through.

For some of us, we will forever be grateful to our families, but there are lots of other people who do not have the same situation.

@OP You should be grateful to your mother because she has supported you in life beyond where so many others wouldn't.

@people giving him a helping hand. . . You are appreciated.

@OP, being a graduate gives you a very big advantage, and i don't agree with you that physiology is an irrelevant course to study.

Most Nigerian medical schools have physiology being taught by people without physiology degrees and i'm sure if you make good inquiries, you may be able to get a junior position in one of the Nigerian medical schools. You can try out in your state of origin.

The job offers by some will be a good way to start, but you need to consider how far all that will take you because they may be completely out of your field of study.

Well, you may also have personal reasons for wanting to start out fresh.

I agree with poster too.

If we put half the energy used to complain or argue into trying to change the things we don't like, we will have made a lot of progress.

Blame Naija news media for any uproar that this news may have caused.

They will always misquote, misrepresent, and the titles will always be some s.hit that will bring about controversy.

Jonathan PLANS floating city in ND

Before we begin an endless argument, we need to consider that this is still a plan and that doesn't mean they want to start construction tomorrow. Nothing was stated about how the floating city will be built. And i don't believe President Jonathan is also a magician.

There are more important issues that will have to be taken care of or else this will be impossible.

So, i don't see anything wrong in having future plans for the ND region. But right now, the plans are far from actualization. I'm sure we can all see that.

reindeer:
Interestingly
this is one thing i have been stressing for quite a while, the need for accountability in the health sector.
People need to be made to account for actions/inactions.
That being said, the other problem in nigeria is the sacrifice of research for sensationalism by journalists.
I read a sad and very uninformed story about LUTH on punch homepage a few sundays ago and its quite similar to this and it just shows ignorance about health issues by the correspondents.
See i understand the doctor made a mistake and owned up to it and if found culpable should be punished by the MDCN.
There is no operation without risks even the most minor ones and accidental lacerations are known risks of C-sections especially the emergency type.
The doctors main error i see is in the discharge information which should have been clearly spelt out for the parents, they immediately sutured the laceration didnt they?)
And as a paediatrician, im wondering how a small scalp laceration will cause developmental delay, if indeed it will cause it, it would have gone through several pathways e.g.
laceration--infection--cranial osteomyelitis--meningitis--developmental delay

or laceration--infection--septicemia--meningitis--developmental delay

fact is i could theorize that a child needing emergency CS may have suffered some perinatal asphyxia which may cause the developmental delay.

so i wonder what the woman is claiming, developmental delay from scalp laceration is a long shot(though possible).

i hope the case will be well investigated and pursued to a logical conclusion,let erring people be punished, though something tells me the doctors can only be hooked for not properly handling discharge counselling, but all the same, i guess they'll be much more careful in future(if they still have their licenses).
and i do hope journalists wont be displaying this disregard for research before going to print,its annoying, you hardly see such reporting in the UK.

That is the most probable cause of the brain damage. . . the reason for the CS itself. And the docs may be liable for this or not.

One very bad thing in Nigeria is journalism. They play on people's emotions to be able to get sales. And about this case, they know that they will be able to achieve that by tying the scalp laceration by the doctors to the poor mental development.

And i will repeat, there is no reason for the docs not to have told the patient about the incident as well as report it in their notes.

For Naija journalists, it is very important in life to call a spade a spade, and for what you don't know, you research or ask people who know or you shut up.

Despite all these, the doctors will still have a case to answer, and the only solution will be in proper investigation and punishment, and formulation of policies that will protect patients and health care professionals in future, or else, in a short while, we will have another case on the news.

mki:
Hi Doc. is it true that drinking a lot of cold water can cause arthritis for a middle aged person?

Not true.

Arthritis is when you have inflammation/damage to a joint. It is similar to having damaged bearings in the wheel of a vehicle.

Causes of arthritis include direct trauma e.g. in accidents, contact sports
malalignment of the joint e.g k-legs, bow legs
Excess weight will cause early wearing of the joint

Other systemic diseases can cause arthritis

e.g. infections, also some STDs. In this case, there will be fever.
e.g Immune related conditions e.g rheumatoid arthritis, SLE
e.g Gout.

joke81:
pls doctor in the house,i need your advise
i had a bike car accident 3wks ago and i fell and sustained injury more internally and did medical checkup and was given drug and ontiment to massage my arm,i felt better after a while with little pain on my right hand but the pains came back 3days again and today is more painful than ever.
pls can you tell me what the problem is again with my right hand.

The problem is most likely related to the bike accident that you had.

Did you have any xrays done? You may have sustained a fracture. And sometimes, very small fractures are missed by xrays initially. But when healing begins, they become more obvious on a repeat xray. Take note that not all fractures require a plaster cast, so discuss what you may need with your physician.

It may also be a strain or a sprain. These injuries take a while to heal (at least 6 weeks). So, it will be a very good idea to avoid doing anything strenuous with the affected hand (to avoid re-injury), and it will be even better if you have it in a splint.

Take analgesics as required. They will help with the pain and the inflammation.

Kgdavid:
hi doc, i dont have any serious medical condition but i'm wondering if pigmentation on the lips is normal? i just noticed a dark spot on the inside on my lower lips and though it is painless it looks abnormal, i thought it could be ordinary pigmentation but have you any idea what else this could be and is it a symptom of some infection?

Pigmentation by itself doesn't tell me much. It may be benign, or it may indicate some other medical condition.

The common infections don't normally present as pigmentations. Do you have any other health concerns? Are you currently on any medication? When was the last time you had a general check up?

Depending on your age, a general physical checkup may help to reveal any other abnormalities, and if there is none, then the pigmentation may be nothing to worry about.

Hope that helped.

samaru:
Mr Balogun,
I am 6 months pregant i am a novice because i just got married last yr i want to know the best sleeping position and the best food to eat and those to avoid your response will be highly needed.And sometimes i feel pain beneath the navel i want to know the problems though a Dr told me at the general hospital to take some prescribed drugs and come back after 2weeks for scan
Regards

You can sleep in any position you feel comfortable in. Sleeping on your back in late pregnancy may result in reduced blood flow to your pelvic organs and is usually uncomfortable for most mothers anyway.

Try and eat a very well balanced diet with fruits and vegetables, drink lots of water. You will also need vitamin supplements and some other drugs whic i suspect that your doctor already prescribed.

You may feel some discomfort in your pelvis, as the ligaments begin to stretch because of your baby's growth. Changes in posture may also account for some back pain in pregnancy, however, if the pain is severe, or accompanied by other symptoms, bleeding, contractions, passage of water, fever, then you need to get to the hospital immediately.

Adequate planning is very essential in obstetrics, so make sure you do all your tests, scans as directed by your obstetrician/doctor, so that you can help him to anticipate any difficulties that may come along, and that will ensure the best outcome for your baby.

All the best.

This is not Mr. Balogun.

dewoy:
i noticed both sides of my collar bone is swollen i mean d lower side of my neck region, i am diabetic and was diagnosed with high blood pressure of recent, am on both diabetic and hbp drugs pls wat the cause and treatment am seriously bothered

Swellings are usually due to structures that we have in a certain area. And the only thing that i think maybe responsible for swelling around the base of your neck are lymph nodes. There are many reasons to have enlarged lymphnodes, and they range from simple throat infections, to Tuberculosis, to lymphomas. Did you recently have a throat infection? Have you been coughing for a long time? Any history of weight loss?

You should be aware that i have no idea about what the cause may be because i haven't seen this swelling, and all i am doing is providing information that you may use as a guide. So, do not ba alarmed.

You need to visit a doctor who will be able to examine that area to tell you exactly what is responsible for the swelling, and depending on any other symptoms you may have, it may require further testing.

Lymph node swelling is not likely to be due to the drugs you are using, however, you can read up about any side effects of your medication to completely rule that possibility out.

Pinkie9ja:
Hello NL DR'S, i went to the men's not too long ago and i observed that my faecal content had substantial amount of a mucous like substance and secksof blood as well in em.pls wat cud b d problem??

It is most likely an infection. And in that case, you may also have abdominal pain, diahhrea, fever, vomiting. Presence of these other symptoms strongly point to an infection, and you may need antibiotics. Also, you need to be careful about your source of drinking water and food. And wash your hands when required to prevent spread of the infection.

Stool tests may help to confirm a diagnosis if required.

There may be other conditions that will present with blood in stools and the common ones include hemorrhoids, anal fissures (may present with pain around the anus)

Pennywise:
I hate to say it but I consider myself guilty of an offence some pple made earlier on in this thread-not reading the story!

It appeared the baby had a simple scalp laceration that was repaired. The mother failed/neglected to present baby for follow up treatment resulting in ?wound infection, blood poisoning and other complications that resulted in the baby having neurological problems etc.

For all we know blood poisoning could have resulted from improper cord care which is a common problem in our general hospitals but usually does not result in long term complications b/c of the liberal use of antibiotics with some help from cooperative mothers which this woman is clearly not. Even if it is a direct result of the scalp injury the woman is more guilty than the doctor in not making the baby available for continued treatment.

I do sympathize with her though. Inevitably this can be linked to poverty and illitracy a direct consequence of state failure.

The truth of the matter is that it will be impossible to say that the doctors that managed the case are not culpable.

Medical sector in Naija, just like many other sectors is in shambles, and that reflects the way medicine is practised there compared with better developed countries.

It is very sad indeed that the newborn had to end up with very severe damage. And like you pointed out, the damage is most likely not due to the scalpel cut itself, because the scalpel will not cut through the baby's skull into his brain. That can only happen if they did it intentionally or the doctor was severely intoxicated. The damage was probably due to infection of the wound and severe sepsis.

And they will be culpable for discharging a baby with an infected wound, poor management of the wound, and also trying to conceal these from the mother(if they did). Culpability with regards to the scalpel cut itself (if it is superficial) will be subjective depending on the panel that will review the case.

Obstetrics is a very sensitive specialty and even in advanced countries, they probably have the highest number of malpractice suits. However that does not excuse the very poor outcome in this case.

We need very major changes in the health policies in Naija that will affect, doctors, patients, government, hospital management etc, and until the Government pays more attention to these, we will continue to have these kind of things happening, with high infant mortality/maternal mortality rates.

Well that amounts to 2 years maximum in prison. Not a bad deal for the lady considering that she pleaded guilty.

Justice exists. it may seem slow sometimes, but the evil we do will always catch up with us.

Enjoyment1:
For the fact that, you and I have started discussing on this same issue, we have started analysing the possible cause of this situation. The only difference here is that, we are not privileged to conduct interviews, and ask questions and receive data from both ends. Investigation is good, but not in Nigeria. The report indicting IBB is still there, and no one has done anything (instead govt openly told us they dont have a copy of that report). The power sector probe report is ready, and no one has the detailed content of it. Even the one Nuhu Ribadu did on Bode George was jettisoned (that was before he too became corrupt and cleared Bode George). So please tell me, what investigation are you looking for in Nigeria, except you want suppress justice. They have openly admitted their fault, so what else are you looking for?

Investigation is always the best way to go.

The role of investigation is not for the sole purpose of serving justice. My personal opinion is that it should help us know exactly what went wrong so policies can be formulated to prevent such from happening.

I bet you many things would have gone wrong in this case and lots of people will be culpable in different ways and to different extents.

So, if we don't investigate properly, we will not know if there was no electricity in the operating theater and the hospital did nothing about it, or maybe the doctor was drunk, or even not qualified enough to perform the procedure, or it could even be the way the nurses handled the infected wound, or the negligence of the patient.

First thing wrong is that journalism in Nigeria is very poor, and the newspaper should not pronounce anybody guilty until investigations are carried out.

And like i said earlier, what we should clamor for is a proper, unbiased investigation and justice!

About my post. . .

A lot of things happened in the case that was described, and the news piece made the deduction that the doctors were careless based on an accidental scalp laceration.

I just tried to provide more information on fetal injuries and cesarian deliveries.

Even though doctors may be responsible for  some poor patient outcomes in Nigerian hospitals,  the journalist as well as we on this forum do not have enough information as well as knowledge to pass judgement.

I am no pro on medicolegal issues, so i know it is better to leave judgement on culpability for people who know better. And that will be a tribunal of some sort.

Even the Stella Obasanjo case was investigated based on evidence by experts before judgement was pronounced.

Fetal injury is a possible complication of ceserian delivery and the risks of this happening will increase if an emergency surgery, rather than a planned surgery is done.
http://pregnancy.emedtv.com/cesarean-section/fetal-injury-during-a-c-section.html

I provided this information because i can see that everybody has judged without trying to research facts.

Culpability in this case can't be determined until a full investigation has been done. And the guilty should be made to face the music.

So what i think we should call for should be a full unbiased investigation of this incident and less sentiments.

Places that become flooded for whatever reason are regarded as slums. . .

Excellent post!!!

lastpage:
Bee444,
A lot of peeps have cursed you over this title!
I guess it was undeserved though the title was "so sweeping" that people might take offense!

Now since you asked a question and l believe you did so with an open mind, not to ridicule a nationality, l will try to chip-in my own opinion, as l see it.

First, movies are mostly fiction but where they are not, they may be from a historical perspective.

"Babalawo" are as much of the Yoruba race just as "Dibia" are as much a part of the Igbo race.

Now the phrase "Babalawo" has been used and given a "negative connotation" but in the real sense, as it was in the days of old, they are NATIVE PHYSICIANS, no more, no less.

Dont forget, it is very easy for people to disparage or ridicule that which they dont understand!

Before Christianity came to our land, we sure NEED/HAVE a way of solving our problems, dont we?

The Isrealites of Biblical days had Moses (what more can a Babalawo do than conjure up one snake that swallowed the Egyptian Snakes, point his "magic rod' and the red sea separates into two  , or make a pronunciation and ALL his dissenters get swallowed in an earthquake?)

The word "Babalawo" is a Title given to people who the community believes can help them solve issues/problems that they have, especially when their level of comprehension is a long distance, to what he does or how he does it! To them, its like Magic!! (ignore the dupe-sters in Lagos for now)

I suspect you're a Christian, so l will use a lot of Christian analogy.
Remember when Joshua asked the SUN to stand still, so his army can finish their enemies? If some one did that today, wont we be right to call him a Babalawo, if the person is from the Yoruba race or an Igbo Dibia?

In the sense of doing or accomplishing that which seems ordinarily impossible, anyone could become or be tagged a Babalawo

God has "His ways" of passing knowledge to humans: Some Prophets dream( Joseph, Samuel), Some He speaks to directly (Moses, Jesus, Apostles), some He bestows with knowledge, to sort humans out. In some sense they are all "solution providers"
And if l were not informed, l simply tag them as Babalawos

Even the "Whites" that gave us Christianity, have their own "Babalawo": people like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Archimedes, e.t.c [/b]who invented what we are benefiting from, today! Electricity, Automobile, Carrier Ships, Telephone, Jet Planes, T.V and Computers, to mentiona few.
Funny thing is that in their days, some of them were persecuted, branded heretics (another derogatory term for Babalawo) and even killed by ignoramus like me and you with a lower faculty of reasoning and understanding compared to them!

Now, Yoruba films tries to reflect the Yoruba culture, among other things. [b]It tries to revive the Yoruba prowess of old.
For example, if you watch the film: Sango, it tries to portray a Yoruba deity that was very powerful as to command Thunder and lightning  and if you notice, our NEPA uses it as its symbol! (Guess thats why we dont have light, Sango has used-up all the electricity )

Now, dont make the mistake of thinking that "People that cherish their culture and traditions are not Godly"

Even in the Bible, God admonished the Isrealites not to mingle with the "heathens" so that they dont dilute their culture and traditions! HE even asked them not to marry from amongst the strangers! So, preserving one's culture is Godly, albeit the good part!

If you dont know who you are and where you came from, How can you know where you're going?

Again, dont fall into the trap that christian faith and culture are diametrically opposed!
Culture simply guided the people's way of life before Christianity came, just like the "Old Testament" guided the people before the "New Testament" came and you cant tell me that Apostle Paul is more acceptable than Abraham, the father of faith!

There are wrong things happening in Christianity today but that does not make everything about Christianity bad.
Same way, there are bad things that happened in Culture/Traditions in those days but that does not make the whole thing bad.

Finally, l can understand that we should not promote primitive/bad ideas of our culture (If thats your grouse).
As Christians for example, we cannot be promoting the despoliation of our enemies, as was the case in the days of the "Biblical Kings".

Same goes with our traditions and cultures, some Yoruba films cannot continue to glorify and amplify issues like "child sacrifice", evil permutations and what have you. These are not unique to Yoruba films after all, American films promote homosexuality, drug use, gun crime, e.t.c

I guess you will agree it is better to promote the good aspect of "Babalawo" (or you just detest them completely?! ).
Believe me, they have good sides, have saved millions of lives in the days when modern medicine was nowhere to be found and pestilence decimated the population.

Please fell free to "change channel" if you encounter an offensive depiction of a Babalawo.

BTW: Do you now that there is a plant which "babalawo" uses to cure skin rashes? And he just squeezes the plant juice and rubs it on your kin and it would clear up  (No anti-biotic, no carcinogenic creams containing mercury et all!).
Do you also know there is another "Babalawo method" that can cure migraine headache, jut by saying a few "words" with the sufferer's head placed against a wall? No tablets/capsule, no side effects, no cost   I know it sound unbelievable.
Now, that is "good babalawo" we should be promoting. Its real, believe me.

Cheers and love to ALL who can appreciate the good in our culture/traditions and do away with the bad side.

@lastpage

Excellent and open minded contribution.

We need people to open up their minds in Naija, or else we will continue to dey follow follow. And achievements can only be made from being original.

I have my sentiments about these movies too, but asking for the complete exclusion of these cultural elements will be completely fo.olish.

We can modify it in ways that it will be acceptable to the whole world and still rep our culture.

BrOwn*Suga:
Simple

Yoruba without babalawo is Yorubaless

they cannot do without juju, even when they are holdin  special positions in churches they still keep small juju or build shrine as spare tire

those people are so damn fetishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


oya attack

BrOwn*Suga:
thats what they do here on NL, when you try to make your point they'l start firin at you

so me self i don load my AK59 for grand lol

@brownsuga

The bolded statement deserves attack from people. You have generalized without reason. But i will not go that route with you.

lastpage:
BrownSuga,
no one is going to "Attack you"! For what? Just for stating your opinion? Naaah

Its a discussion forum, not a ring fight

BTW: What exactly do you consider as "juju"? I mean in your own understanding?

Maybe if we exchange ideas on this, we might get ourselves more understanding of our different perspectives, without the fight.

About brownsuga. . . He asked for people to attack him because he knows that what he said deserves to be attacked.

We may deny all we want, our culture still remains with us, and it is even reflected in the way we  worshipp.

Please compare christianity in Africa with christianity in some western countries. It is our identity, and if some people choose to make movies about it. . . fine. As long as they are not forcing their religion on you.

And like i said earlier, for anybody who has an issue with the babalawo movies, please stop watching it.

@OP

Movies are fiction, and if the way babalawos are being promoted is affecting your way of life/beliefs, then stop watching them.

BTW, i should warn you that you find lots of fetish ideologies in most foreign horror movies, and English nollywood movies too. So you better exclude them from your list also.

violent:
yes, you are not deaf, you are daft!

Watch your tongue young man!!!

.

Katsumoto:
Thats what I meant about subtle but effective security; Not that IBB close traffic for 3 hours before going through a major road.

And what i'm saying is that the security situation and people's mentality in the UK very much differs from what we have in Nigeria.

I agree that our leaders have their excesses, but also, our people have their excesses too and that will affect the security details.

I see that a lot of people are very quick to compare Naija situations with the UK or US, and they fail to realize that the difference in society will greatly affect the way things can be done there.

Maybe when we have better road networks, reduced poverty levels, better levels of education, then we would have better organized/subtle security. Everything is interrelated in a complex way.

I'm sure if the British PM was to be in Lagos, his security details will include shutting down traffic for a couple of hrs too.

@babapupa

Please what part of Lagos is this located?

Slowly but surely, we will get to the promise land.

Pinkie9ja:
Hello NL DR'S, i went to the men's not too long ago and i observed that my faecal content had substantial amount of a mucous like substance and secksof blood as well in em.pls wat cud b d problem??

Presence of mucus plus blood in Naija sounds like an infection.

Antibiotics can be started emperically (without a lab test) And based on the most likely organisms that cause bloody diarrhea, a quinolone and metronidazole will be a good combination.

You can visit your doctor who will suggest examine you to see if there are any other possibilities and follow up.

Katsumoto:
But is it not these differences that you so refer to that encourages corruption, sharp practices, etc?
Why is it that many public officials lie about qualifications? Do Africans not come across as crass and unenlightened when they use funny titles such Barrister Lagbaja, Ambassador Tamedun, Engineer wole?
The average Nigerian politician wants to be in government to steal so as to lord over others. As long as people continue to seek qualifications and positions just to be above others, then society at large will continue to suffer.

Is it not these cultural differences that perpetuate the grave imbalance in income distribution? We end up in a situation where everyone wants to have a white collar job because blue-collar jobs are for second class citizens. Result - so many doctors, engineers, accountants, etc roaming the streets looking for work. The imbalance in vocation leads to 'Big men' assaulting mechanics, drivers as well as despoiling house girls.

Our culture of titles has always been there. Even before corruption and greed became so popular. So, i don't agree that it is the reason for corruption.

It is our culture to respect everybody, and the addition of titles to deserving people's names make that happen. Check it out, street adresses are always of people's names, we have to add a title to every older person's name - uncle, brother. Our universities, airports have to bear people's names. Even married people have to get titles. . . Mr, Mrs. .  I know of people from other parts of the world who would prefer to be called by just their first name alone.

my point is these differences are irrelevant. that is just the way we are, and we should accept it.

About corruption, our culture of titles has been abused to suit these corrupt practices, such that undeserving people add titles to their names just to claim or demand undue respect from others. And this is just a situation where our culture has been taken advantage of. This only happened because of a breakdown in law and order, where people do whatever they like and there are no consequences.

And like you said, it may have resulted in lots of people aspiring to get white collar jobs. But despite these aspirations, we still have big time shortages in these white collar jobs.

The answer to your question is also in the answer to this question.

Why is it that Nigerians are perceived by others to be loud, proud and flashy.

We are different culturally, we have different beliefs and also we differ in the way we think.

Personally, i don't think these differences matter, what matters is making our own style to work for us.

We don't have to copy exactly what President Obama does just because he is the one doing it. Let us modify our own style till we find what works well for us. And for now, in Nigeria, titles mean everything. . . you can ask the average man on the street.

@ ourturn

I'm not for insults, but i don't understand why you are hurling curses at anybody who disagrees with what you think.

You should know that whatever you think you are good at doing, there are people who can do it better but they choose to keep their cool.

Peace.