Na dem say, ‘when breathe enter, matter go start!’ My people, e don happen again! Naija health system don catch fire again as one of our own, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gather mouth share wetin happen for hospital wey no suppose happen at all. Her 21-month-old pikin, Nkanu Nnamdi, waka go hospital, but na negligence wey dem carry follow am enter ground like say na play. Wetin be all this na?
Chimamanda, wey sabi write beta beta book, talk say doctor wey dey for the Lagos hospital give her pikin overdosed propofol, na sedative wey fit make person sleep well well. Abeg, wetin dem dey do for dat hospital? Una fit imagine wetin the family dey feel now? They dey carry matter go court to scatter the hospital wey dem blame for wetin happen. Dem say no be negligence, but wetin you go call am when dem dey sleep for the matter?
This one don make Naija people dey shout for reform for healthcare system wey dey jaga-jaga. For many years, our public health system don dey bleed from underpayment wey doctors dey face, surgeries wey dey happen for candlelight, and patients wey dey pay for gloves wey dem no fit provide. E be like say na only those wey fit fly abroad dey enjoy healthcare well. If you no fit pay, e be like say you go dey pray for miracle.
No be only that one o! When Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight champ, jam accident for Naija last December, na bystanders wey come help am; ambulance no dey. This na the wahala wey dey happen everywhere! Even Adichie sister-in-law, Dr. Anthea Esege Nwandu, wey get plenty experience, don dey shout for better accountability.
As people dey mourn the tragic loss of the young boy, Lagos state government don prompt inquiry. But you know say naija, dem go talk plenty matter, but wetin we go see no dey different? The doctor-to-patient ratio dey stand at 1:9,801. E be like say dem don finish count doctors wey don waka comot Naija for confirmation of the awful conditions.
One case wey oya our heart na the woman wey dem leave scissors for her stomach during surgery. After her case, she still dey collect painkillers till she kick bucket four months after! Na wetin this na?
Ijoma Ugboma sabi this matter well as him lose him wife Peju to similar negligence for 2021. For na im, everything dey vex him, as the wrong setting on ventilator wey dem do cost her life after surgery. E pained him say na ‘surgery, ICU and dead’ be the final gist for oga wife.
A lawyer wey dey handle matters like this, Olisa Agbakoba, don talk say our health sector no get any proper structure at all. No routine checkups, no effective monitoring, na just wahala we dey see as we dey struggle for better standards. Many people dey fail to report, even though dem suppose talk out because of the wahala wey dey surround negligence wahala for our society. People dey always talk say ‘na God’, so dem go just carry their wahala and waka go house.
But e be like say this sad news fit change somtin. We fit dey hope say more people go wake up and start to shout for better healthcare. For Ijoma Ugboma, e sure say justice dey if we fit persevere, but we must challenge the system if we wan see beta future. My people, no be small matter oh! Na time to take action!
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