In Nigeria, it is often said that navigating the healthcare system can feel like a battle. Many families face a difficult choice between expensive private hospitals, where they hope to receive better care, and public hospitals, which are often stigmatized as substandard. Dubem, a father in his 30s, recently lived through this struggle when his father suddenly lost the ability to walk. His journey through both the private and public health sectors revealed stark contrasts in care, compassion, and cost.
The Private Hospital Experience
Dubem’s story begins in 2019 when his father woke up one morning unable to stand or walk. Alarmed, they rushed him to a well-known private hospital in Lagos, desperate for answers. As soon as they arrived, they were hit with the first blow: a demand for a ₦250,000 deposit before any treatment could begin. With his father’s health on the line, Dubem didn’t hesitate. He paid the money, trusting that his father was in good hands.
The family spent the next two months at the private hospital, watching their bills pile up with no sign of improvement. Dubem recalls the frustration and helplessness they felt as the hospital continued to charge them for treatments that seemed to make no difference. By the time they decided to leave, they had already spent over ₦2 million. Despite this, the hospital demanded an additional ₦350,000 before they would release Dubem’s father. After a lengthy dispute, they managed to negotiate the amount down to ₦125,000, paid it, and left the hospital disillusioned and still without answers.
It was Dubem’s mother who suggested they try a government hospital at Igbobi. At first, the family resisted, clinging to the negative stories they had heard about public hospitals. But with few options left, they finally agreed. What they found at Igbobi completely upended their expectations.
Igbobi Hospital
“The moment we walked in, it felt different,” Dubem recalls. “The doctors were friendly and professional. They didn’t treat us like we were just another case. They asked how my dad was feeling and answered all our questions, no matter how many we had or how silly they might have sounded.”
The doctors at Igbobi diagnosed Dubem’s father quickly, gave the family a list of drugs to buy, which cost only ₦21,000, and within a short time, he was back on his feet. Dubem was astonished at how quickly his father’s condition improved, especially after the ordeal they had endured at the private hospital. His father had barely used half of the medication before he was walking again.
The most surprising part, Dubem says, was how consistently compassionate the staff were. On their next appointment, the family encountered a different set of doctors, and to their amazement, these doctors were even kinder and more attentive than the first.
“It was like night and day compared to the private hospital. There, we were spending millions and the doctors were always too busy to answer our questions. But at Igbobi, they were patient and treated us with so much respect. It wasn’t about the money for them.”
Dubem’s story highlights a critical issue in Nigerian healthcare: the misconception that private hospitals always offer better care. His experience at Igbobi showed him that, despite the challenges facing public hospitals in Nigeria, many are staffed by dedicated, compassionate professionals who are doing their best to provide excellent care under difficult circumstances.
Though Dubem and his family initially feared seeking care at a public hospital, they now know that compassion, professionalism, and effective treatment can be found in unexpected places. For them, the journey through Nigeria’s healthcare system was not just about finding the right treatment—it was about rediscovering the humanity that should lie at the heart of healthcare.
