- Hospital: It’s not in every case that we conduct tests
In this report, LADESOPE LADELOKUN reports on some unexpected practices by staff of a Catholic Church-owned St. Leo’s Hospital, Ikeja.
Following allegations of unethical practices, the activities of Saint Leo’s Catholic Hospital in the Ikeja area of Lagos have come under scrutiny.
Although the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had at different fora asserted that the medical practice in Nigeria still maintains high ethical standards despite the mass exodus of health workers and the nagging issue of underfunding of the sector, reports about unethical practices of health workers still stir concerns.
Only recently, a domestic worker, Idoreyen Davis, in need of medical attention, approached St. Leo’s Hospital. According to her, without any form of test, she was asked to cough up N56,000 for treatment, an amount she deemed outrageous.
Although she eventually paid N22,000, transfer record of the said amount, seen by Sunday Telegraph, showed it was paid into a private account owned of one John Kanebi Aniagwu through an Opay account on November 20.
“When I got to the hospital, no test was conducted on me. I was just told to bring N56,000 for treatment. After I pleaded that I couldn’t afford it, it was reduced to N36,000. I said I couldn’t still afford it, but I was told to go away. We eventually settled for N22,000 after my boss intervened. They delayed treatment again, insisting they would not treat me, even after payment. Again, that was resolved. But I was surprised that the money was paid into a private account. When I was eventually attended to, I was taken to the emergency ward, where I was given ‘a drip’ ( intravenous therapy) and injected once before I was told to leave the following morning ,and that was all,” she said. She left the following morning feeling unwell and desolate. She had to seek proper treatment in a different hospital.
Meanwhile, checks by Sunday Telegraph, however, revealed what is considered the sad experiences of Nigerians, who claimed to have sought medical attention at Saint Leo’s Hospital.
In a post seen on Top-rated.online,one Ifechukwu J alleged: “This Hospital just killed my nephew. How can nurses and doctors leave a pregnant woman in labour for 4 hours unattended? God will punish all the nurses and doctors on duty yesterday night at ob/gyne section. The pains you caused us will be returned to you people double.”
On the same platform, one Blessing C alleged: “There is need to put more effort into cleanliness and fumigation. I had several mosquito bites and saw rats roaming about. Some Nurses are nonchalant. I never want to be admitted in that kind of environment ever again. It was made compulsory that I buy the prescribed medicines from their store even when I told the woman I didn’t have enough money and would like to buy it when I get home, my plea was fruitless.”
Meanwhile, when Sunday Telegraph visited the hospital on Friday, efforts to speak with the Chief Medical Director were fruitless as the men at the security post insisted he was not around after several hours of waiting.
However, our reporter was ushered into the office of the Secretary of the hospital after demanding to speak with a person that can address complaints against the hospital.
The Secretary, who refused to be identified, dismissed the allegation by Idoreyen that money was paid into a private account, adding that the hospital parades qualified and experienced doctors that show high degree of professionalism.
“That account you talked about is not a private account. It belongs to the owner of the hospital. If you go to the account department, you will see it displayed there. It is because of those who don’t have cash and ATM cards.And, she can’t just be given an injection and a drip. She must have complained. The doctors treated her based on her complaints. The doctors here are experienced doctors. They have come across all manner of illnesses.It is not in every case that a test must be conducted. And, let me state that we don’t just bill. This hospital is the cheapest hospital you can find around here,” she explained.
Commenting, President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Bala Audu, urged victims of unethical practices to channel their complaints to the appropriate quarters to seek redress.
“If you’re extorted, and you have a genuine case, whether private or public sector, there are direct methods of getting redress. For the health sector, we have the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. If it’s a nurse, we have the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; if it’s a laboratory person, we have the Laboratory Council of Nigeria; and so on and so forth. Each professional, with the multi-disciplinary professions in the health sector, has a specific regulatory body that is saddled with the issue of ethics and violation of ethics, ” he explained.
He described Nigerian doctors as the most disciplined professionals, adding that they are well sought after across the world because they are well trained.
“Doctors are highly regulated. They are the most disciplined professionals in Nigeria. Do you know what? Because of the discipline and training of Nigerian doctors, Americans come to Nigeria to take Nigerian doctors; England comes to Nigeria to take Nigerian doctors. Australia, Saudi Arabia come to Nigeria. Do you know why? Because they are highly disciplined and well trained. It is very difficult to find bad eggs. The medical and dental council is very strict on discipline and ethical practices,” he told Sunday Telegraph.
For radiation therapist and National Union of Practitioners of Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( NUPCAM) advisor, Prof. Ndubuisi Nwakakwa, money should not be the primary focus of medical personnel, when dealing with patients. The Lagos College of Health Technology lecturer said there was a need for medical practitioners to show empathy when handling patients.
He said: “The first thing is to diagnose a patient very well before you come up with bills. Sometimes, you need to refer a patient to another doctor to have a second look. Exhaust all investigations before you come up with a cost. When it comes to counselling, charges and prescriptions, medical personnel should show empathy when handling patients.”
