In Nigeria, it’s not uncommon to hear stories of patients suffering at the hands of a healthcare system that is plagued by negligence, underfunding, and inadequate medical practices. Medical professionals, who are supposed to be custodians of life, sometimes act with a lack of empathy and due diligence, causing tragic and avoidable loss of lives.
Ikenna, a young corps member, recounts the harrowing experience of losing his older brother due to medical negligence. His brother had complained of severe abdominal pain, only to be rushed into surgery for what was assumed to be appendicitis without proper investigation.
Two years ago, Ikenna’s brother was taken to a hospital after complaining of agonizing pain in his abdomen. The doctor, with little regard for investigative protocols, promptly booked him for an appendix surgery without conducting any scans or tests to confirm his diagnosis.
“My brother complained that he had abdominal pain, and a doctor promptly booked him for an appendix operation without a scan or any form of clinical evidence to support his assumption,” Ikenna recalls, his voice heavy with regret.
The surgery proceeded despite the doctor’s own admission that the patient had extremely high blood pressure, a clear sign that it was unsafe to operate.
“He conducted the surgery despite confirming that my brother’s BP was extremely high and it would be unethical to operate on such a person.”
His brother’s life began to spiral downhill as he lost a significant amount of blood during and after the procedure. It was the beginning of a tragic sequence of events.
“Later on, a series of complications arose,”Ikenna continues, his words fraught with pain. “My brother’s stomach became swollen, and he was extremely thirsty. This led to the discovery that his blood sugar level was also very high. Eventually, he started complaining that he couldn’t breathe well.”
But what made the situation even more unbearable was the callousness of the doctor. In the face of his brother’s worsening condition, the doctor remained harsh and unfeeling, treating both patient and caregiver with dismissive cruelty. Rather than refer his brother to a better-equipped facility, the doctor kept him at the hospital, prolonging his suffering.
“In all this, the doctor was so harsh to the patient and to me. He kept him when he could have referred him. My brother gasped and struggled to hold on to his life.”
By the time the doctor finally made the decision to refer Ikenna’s brother to another facility, it was too late. He never made it there. The life that had clung to the hope of recovery had slipped away due to neglect and incompetence.
“Eventually, he referred him, but my brother never made it to the place he was referred to,” Ikenna says, his voice filled with anger and sadness. “Nigerian doctors and health workers think they are like demigods. They’re so heartless, so callous, so cold.”
Ikenna’s story is a devastating reminder of the human cost of medical negligence in Nigeria. His brother’s life, one that could have been saved with proper care and attention, was tragically cut short.
