For any economy to thrive, the health sector, like others, must be functioning optimally. It is known saying that ‘ health is wealth’. For it is only a healthy mind, body, and soul that can do the needful. But how can this be possible with failing healthcare systems? Health professionals, who ought to be well remunerated, are owed several months’ salary. These people who are supposed to be caregivers are becoming the opposite.
In this coronavirus pandemic, doctors went on strike in such a critical period. One may say they are self-seeking, but these people also have their life, families, and other goals to meet. It is more worrisome now that the best doctors and nurses are relocating outside the country. The brain drain is slowly killing the Nigerian economy. As a result, the ratio of doctors to patients is nothing to write home about. For one doctor to attend to several patients, he/she would burn out. Now, other countries seem to be reaping where they have not sown as they benefit from our best human resources.
I was drawn to a Facebook post by a friend. She narrated how she lost somebody due to negligence and carelessness on the part of the doctor. It was even more painful because it was a minor illness. The patient was suffering from appendicitis. So he went to the hospital for treatment. He was to undergo surgery but faced delay. The doctor blatantly refused to perform his duties. It was from one excuse to another. When the doctor finally yielded, he performed the wrong operation. That carelessness and time wasted ended up wasting life for no just reason. That was how the poor guy died on the hospital bed.
Have you gone to a government hospital and see the way that treats you? Some of the nurses are outright rude. They inflict fear on the patient who may leave the hospital worse than they came. Some of the doctors would refer you to their private hospitals so that the money ends up in their private accounts. The long queues are another topic for another day. If you have an appointment with the doctor, it is better to show up earlier than usual before you end up missing the chance. The medical facilities are choking. There is hardly enough space for all patients. It is embarrassing that in this modern age, we still rely on traditional equipment.
To revive the health sector, it needs to be enticing for health workers through handsome pay packages, insurance, and other perks. The health workers would have to balance their individual needs with the ethics of the profession. The government should invest in modern health infrastructure. Telehealth is becoming viable. The failing health care system is a case of two elephants fighting only for the grass to suffer. In the end, it is the patient that bears all the brunt. The value of human life is priceless. We need to prioritise human lives and keep it that way by doing the needful.