By Anthony Otaru, Ben Adoga, David Uka, and David Lawani
In a bid to seek medical solutions to their health-related issues, some Nigerians have tales of woes to tell about their bitter experiences in the hands of quack, unprofessional, and non-meticulous medical personnel in different hospitals across the country.
Although the experiences of these groups might not be the same, the general consensus was that the medical profession had been infiltrated by quacks plagued by all manners of unprofessional conduct.
Incidentally, the poor masses have been at the receiving end of the decadence that had befallen the medical practice, which in most cases had resulted in wrong diagnoses.
*Quackery, improper investigation, others responsible for misdiagnosis, President of resident doctors reveals
Speaking more pungently on this vexed issue, the President of the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Tope Oshundara, attributed the problems of wrong diagnoses to the infiltration of quack doctors into the revered profession.
Oshundare, who spoke with ThisNigeria in a telephone interview in Abuja, maintained that many unqualified doctors and other fake health workers operated in unregistered medical centres/hospitals across the country.
The medical practitioner was bold to say that lack of meticulous investigation most often resulted in wrong diagnoses that led to tragic results.
“Today in Nigeria, we have many unqualified doctors and other fake health workers, especially in unregistered medical centers/ hospitals with poor equipment and poor laboratory facilities carrying out investigations on patients’ ailments.
Also, there are instances where the patients are dictating the nature of their ailments to the doctors.
All of these result in wrong diagnoses, which also pose dangers to the patients,” Oshundara further revealed.
He insisted that most of the wrong diagnoses do not come from Nigerian doctors because of the high training they had undergone but rather from the quacks that had infiltrated the profession and the investigations they put in place before coming up with diagnosis results on ailments.
According to him, no registered hospital will employ a quack of medical personnel any day or time because of the sanctions the owners may face.
“I want to let you know that Nigerian Doctors are very competent and well-versed professionals. For the right diagnosis to be thorough for any ailment, the patient must undergo necessary investigations, including laboratory and clinical investigations.”
He noted that properly investigating patients’ ailments is key to the correct diagnosis.
*Citizens bemoan dearth of personnel, equipment, funding in public hospitals
One Chioma Okoye, an Abuja resident, also narrated how she was wrongly diagnosed with Ulcer in Karshi General Hospital, Abuja.
According to Okoye, I knew something was wrong with me, but I couldn’t explain what exactly was going on with my system.
“We were told that government hospitals are better equipped than private hospitals with better-qualified doctors, so I decided to patronise a general hospital in Abuja.
I spent so much time and wasted a lot of money on drugs without any improvement for almost two years.
All I wanted was to get well, but for almost two years, I kept visiting while they changed drugs or added to existing ones each time I went there, and I was not getting better. I spent so much money, yet I saw myself going endlessly.
“I cannot say this is precisely what the problem was. My family was affected so much that my children lost concentration at school because of my ill health. I lost my sleep for many years…I was so pale.
Meanwhile, Okoye finally got relief when the correct diagnosis was made at Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH.
She said after the check-in JUTH, she had no ulcer. The result showed that she had developed an enlarged heart due to persistent and unchecked High Blood Pressure, HBP.
“All the drugs I brought from Abuja were discarded, and I started a fresh round of treatment. I thank my God that I am alive to tell my story; if I didn’t have somebody who acted fast, I would have died and been buried long ago due to wrong diagnoses,” she said.
Another pathetic story is that of Debbie. Debbie was a young, beautiful girl between 23 and 25 years old. She lived at Co-op Estate, Kpeyegyi, in Abuja.
According to the brother, Pastor Emmanuel, I lost my sister due to the wrong diagnosis.
Pastor Emmanuel narrated that his sister Deborah Enejor, which they fondly called Debbie, suffered what they described as a mild stroke or partial stroke. They took her to the National Hospital, Abuja.
Pastor Emmanuel said what they thought was a minor thing, and for an outpatient situation, it turned out to be routine and protracted visits to the hospital.
He narrated that as she kept visiting the hospital, her situation worsened to the point that she couldn’t use her right leg properly any longer, and her right hand became heavy, too.
He said while this continued for some time, they woke up one morning and discovered that Debbie had died in her sleep in her room.
They took her body to the hospital only to discover that she died of cardiac arrest and that she would have survived if she knew that it was a heart situation and went straight for treatment.
Unlike Mrs. Okoye, Debbie did not survive to tell her story.
Elisha Nuhu, a builder and carpenter, was not wrongly diagnosed, but he had a peculiar experience.
Narrating his ordeal, also in Karshi General Hospital, he said he revolted and saved his life by leaving the hospital.
He was invited to fix a leaking roof in the Gidan Daya area of Abuja. While working, he stepped on a faulty ladder and fell off the roof to the ground. He said he was taken to the hospital for treatment. After explaining himself, the doctors were rather more interested in booking him for COVID-19 quarantine.
Out of protest, he stood up and left the hospital, went to a chemist, and got himself treated. He is alive today to tell his story.
*Lack of regular training
Talking with a senior doctor in the hospital who did not want his name mentioned because he is a civil servant, most of the challenges faced in Nigerian hospitals today cannot be traced to a single issue, but numerous systemic decays over the years.
He said that the Nigerian health care system, including Abuja, has suffered unchecked brain drain for years.
“The consequence of this is obvious,” he stressed.
He also said the training institutions may be doing their best but doubted whether the equipment required for doctors’ training is adequate, especially in private universities.
The government-owned universities we claim have facilities, but most of the men who do the training have left the country, and nobody cares. What will then be the result of these poorly trained young doctors?
He revealed a disturbing situation in which political interference in the recruitment process was also challenging.
He said some young doctors are not adequately examined before their engagement because they bring notes from high places like the Senate and the presidency and find themselves in elite medical facilities without prerequisite experience.
He also said the power situation is so poor that one cannot know the labs’ findings and results. Either the power is not there, or when it comes, it’s low or not long enough to power the equipment sufficiently for the number of hours needed for accurate results.
In the same vein, as part of efforts to diagnose and offer solutions to wrong diagnoses in improving Nigeria’s healthcare system, a Public Health Officer who is a World Health Organisation (WHO) field officer, Miss Patience Anyim, has stated that part of the issue has been due to poor quality control measures.
She said, “I think the issue of wrong diagnosis in the Nigerian healthcare system is a pressing concern that requires urgent attention. The quality of laboratories in prominent public hospitals is a significant factor contributing to this problem.
“Regular inspections and audits provide patient education and employment by educating patients about their rights and responsibilities and empowering them to demand quality care.
“I think by tracking these issues, we can improve or reduce the quality of wrong diagnosis services and enhance overall healthcare outcomes in Nigeria,” she noted.
*Inject more funds
Meanwhile, a Consultant Public health physician, Dr Oluwaseun Adesoye, opined that the best way to tackle this challenge is to allocate more funds to address the country’s healthcare system.
He said, “Well, I’ll answer the questions in one word. It all boils down to underfunding of the health system components.
“The quality of laboratories in prominent institutions in the country varies, but I’ll highlight some common challenges public facilities face. In some public laboratories, underfunding is a significant issue.
“This leads to a lack of essential reagents, hindering the conduct of basic tests. Furthermore, these laboratories often struggle to acquire and maintain critical equipment and hire competent staff, thus compromising their ability to provide accurate and reliable results.
“In contrast, well-funded laboratories in private institutions or research centers often have access to cutting-edge equipment, well-trained personnel, and a steady supply of reagents and other consumables. These laboratories can provide high-quality services, including specialized tests, and engage in research collaborations.
“Overall, the quality of laboratories in the country is inconsistent, with public facilities facing significant challenges. Addressing these challenges through increased funding, training, and infrastructure development is essential to improving the quality of laboratory services that impact better health outcomes.
“To assess the regulatory body’s impact, I’ll draw from my experience working in tertiary facilities. Periodic assessments by regulatory bodies like the NUC (National Universities Commission) and MDCN (Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria) have been instrumental in standardizing medical training.
“These assessments ensure that facilities meet the required standards, providing a conducive environment for patient care and healthcare workers’ training. While there may be room for improvement, it’s evident that the regulatory bodies play a crucial role in maintaining quality medical education and training standards,” he narrated.
