In Nigeria, healthcare delivery often faces challenges, including staffing issues, lack of facilities, and, at times, the unpredictability of medical personnel. For many, this can result in unexpected and sometimes harrowing experiences. Ose, a recent university graduate, recalls one such moment from his secondary school days, an experience he describes as “funny but traumatizing.” It was a moment when he encountered the darker, more disheartening side of healthcare during a time when he needed urgent care.
It happened when Ose was in SS2, and he had fallen seriously ill.
“I remember waking up with a fever, and my mum rushed me to the hospital,” he recalls. After being admitted, the lab results came back, and it was confirmed that he had malaria. Ose’scondition wasn’t improving, and the next step was to begin treatment. However, the doctor assigned to handle his case was nowhere to be found. “It was morning, around 9 a.m., and the nurse told us the doctor would arrive soon, so we waited. My mum kept asking the nurse if she could start the treatment since it was just a drip and some injections. But the nurse insisted we wait for the doctor.”
Hours passed, and as Ose’s condition worsened, frustration began to set in. By 3 p.m., the doctor was still nowhere in sight. His mum urged the nurse again to begin treatment, but the nurse could only start with the drip, hoping the doctor would soon arrive. “At that point, I was already on my second drip. I felt weak, and my mum was getting anxious,” Ose says.
The Doctor’s Arrival
Then, finally, around 8 p.m., the doctor arrived but there was something off about him. “When he walked in, I noticed something was strange. He looked disoriented, and I soon realized he was drunk.” To Ose’s disbelief, the doctor immediately began to berate the nurse for administering the drip. “He was mad at the nurse and even removed the drip, saying she didn’t know how to do her job.”
Ose’s anxiety heightened as the doctor began to poke his arm repeatedly, searching for a vein to reinsert the drip. “He kept missing the vein, and soon, my arm started swelling. That’s when my mum had had enough. She begged the nurse to remove it and put it back the way she had done before.”
The nurse obliged, but the damage had been done. Ose was left with a swollen arm and a mixture of confusion and anger. “I couldn’t believe it. Here I was, sick and needing help, but instead, I was being poked over and over by a drunk doctor.”
Later, Ose found out from a friend that the doctor had a reputation for showing up to work intoxicated. “Apparently, that day, the doctor had even forgotten his car at the place where he had gone to drink. I was shocked when I heard that.”
The Aftermath
Reflecting on the experience, Ose now sees the humor in what was, at the time, a deeply unsettling event. “It’s funny now, but back then, it was traumatizing. I couldn’t believe that something like this could happen in a hospital.”
Ose’s story highlights the critical issues within the Nigerian healthcare system, where patients are sometimes left in the hands of professionals who fail to uphold basic standards of care. While he has recovered from that illness, the memory of that day lingers.
“I was lucky nothing worse happened, but it made me realize that in Nigeria, you really need to be vigilant about your health. It’s not just about getting treatment; it’s about making sure you’re in good hands.”
Though Ose has since moved on and completed his university education, that encounter serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for reforms in healthcare, starting with accountability and professionalism at all levels. For Ose, it’s a “funny but traumatizing” memory he won’t soon forget.
