You don hear say if you fall sick for Naija, no be only pain you go feel o but wahala join! Na true talk! Health sector wey suppose protect us dey turn our life upside down. Families wey go hospital dey bounce from one place to another, sometimes na wahala wey go make person lose dem loved one because system no dey work as e suppose be.
For paper, we get policy wey dey talk say we go get universal healthcare, but for ground, na different matter. You dey see people wey dey waka for streets day in day out, because dem no fit access care. If healthcare for Naija be person, e go dey underfunded, understaffed and e no even get wetin e need to flex! In fact, analysis show say our health system dey deliver only about 45% of wetin e suppose deliver. That na serious waka behind African average wey be 56%!
And talk true, over 80% of our health infrastructure dey useless. Na so many go dey rush abroad go seek treatment, even when dem no get money, dey dey spend am. Na heartbreak dey follow for many families as dem go face our hospitals pain and high cost.
The World Health Organisation talk say na one doctor go dey for every 600 patients, but see as we dey adjust the number for Naija! For some areas, na 2,000 patients follow one doctor like say na competition. E still get places wey one doctor go dey manage almost 10,000 people! How we go jam such wahala and not die inside dia!
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie don talk am well after im pikin die due to negligence for one private hospital for Lagos. Her story shine light on wetin many Naija families dey face; na serious medical negligence and preventable errors dey plenty! E no be news say nearly 90% of patients dey experience one form of clinical errors for hospitals.
Nobody dey happy with this kain situation wey dey ground. People dey complain say doctors no dey care about dem or dem dey act arrogant. Na E be say, instead of getting better, some patients dey worsen! We need to fix this matter before e go turn real serious wahala.
On top the issue, we still get our government wey dey allocate less than 5% of national budget for health. You fit imagine say na so e dey? No wonder say many people dey avoid public facilities, dem dey wait till when e don dey critical before dem go seek care, na when dem risk dem life!
This one na serious issue, as long waiting times, crowded wards and understaffed clinics don become person palava. Some citizens dey spend days without proper care. Plus, the money wey dey collect for private consultations no dey bring the treatment wey dem need!
Na the true gory reality wey dey show how accountability non dey for our health system. Medical negligence lawsuits no just dey happen; to fight for dem, na wahala! Many families just dey accept dem fate rather than fight for better health care.
Plus, our doctors and nurses dey carry ‘japa’ syndrome go other countries wey dey treat dem better. Wetin we go do now, as we dey lose the ones wey sabi work well! It dey clear say health system dey suffer serious strain, with few people dey manage plenty patients, and we dey pay the price!
Some movement dey happen! Government don form task force wey go look into how we go improve patient care and fighting medical errors, but make sure say e no be just noise! We need real strategies wey go help our frontline health facilities. It no dey make sense say for a country like Nigeria we dey suffer from basic health care!
At the end of day, illness na no be place for poverty and death! We deserve better! Before we go dey fight to survive illness wey no suppose enter street, we need a health system wey go show we some care. Until we stand up and fix this matter, e go dey remain same, punish the poor and rich alike.
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