Misdiagnoses, medical negligence and Nigerians trust in health sector

As we approached the Yar’Adua Centre, my companion, who had just returned to Abuja from Abia after over a decade, caught sight of the leading public hospitals in Abuja and exclaimed: “May I never enter that place.”

His words were striking. When I asked why, he responded with a chilling remark: “Those who enter don’t come back alive.”

This captures the growing fear and mistrust among Nigerians towards the nation’s healthcare system. Misdiagnoses and wrong prescriptions have become regular.

Many patients have met their Waterloo through misdiagnosis and the wrong drug prescription.

This has left tongues wagging and created fear in many who crave solutions to their ailments at hospitals.

These medical errors have left on their trail devastating outcomes, leaving patients and their families to grapple with the consequences of a healthcare system riddled with quacks and an exodus of experienced hands.

Chineye Benjamin was initially diagnosed with cancer. Chemotherapy was prescribed.

Pushed to seek a second opinion from a medical practitioner, and after going to two or more hospitals, it was found to be untrue. The diagnosis was wrong.

Similarly, Okodue Peace, who underwent a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, was reassured by doctors that her organs were unaffected.

However, the truth was far more sinister. The cancer had spread throughout her body. It was fatal.

The doctors chose not to disclose this but continued to prescribe medication that failed to address the core issue.

On 19 July, Peace passed away after a brave and candid doctor revealed to her family that the cancer had spread throughout her brain and had eaten deep into her body.

These stories, and countless others like them, highlight a disturbing trend in which critical information is withheld from patients.

This practice has compromised the trust in the healthcare system, prompting those who can afford it to seek treatment abroad.

Hospitals like the National Hospital have been accused of prioritising profit over patient care, as in Peace’s case, where stronger drugs were prescribed without addressing the core issue, cancer,

Such negligence has resulted in fatal consequences, leading to a public outcry for urgent reforms to restore public confidence in the healthcare sector.

Anita Sunday said her friend suffered a similar fate after being diagnosed with appendicitis in one of the public hospitals in Abuja.

Such stories highlight the systemic failures within the healthcare system in the country.

Mrs Sunday said that many patients have often been advised to seek medical treatment abroad if they can afford it.

This is because Nigeria appears to have left its healthcare in the hands of those who care less about human life.

Oke Azubike recounted her own brush with medical negligence at a Federal Medical Centre, where a failure to conduct a standard full blood count before a biopsy led to severe bleeding.

Experts say biopsy is a procedure in which a piece of tissue or a sample of cells is removed from the body to be tested in a laboratory.

It was only when she was transferred to the National Hospital and her identity as a journalist was recognised that her case received the attention it warranted.

“I was bleeding profusely; the doctor was going to do a biopsy, and he didn’t follow the standard procedure of doing a full blood count before the procedure.

“If he had, he would have known my platelets were low and I wouldn’t have started bleeding uncontrollably after the biopsy.

“The doctor knew he had committed a serious blunder; later, one of my doctor friends who was treating me told me he had called some of them to tell them the situation.

“That was when they discovered it was me the doctor was talking about the following morning.

“That doctor can’t forget me because, God forbid, if anything happened to me, he and FMC would have been in serious trouble. It was pure negligence on his part.

“I remember some years ago when he saw me, he told one of his colleagues that this was the lady I forgot to do an FBC on before the biopsy,” she said.

The situation is further compounded by the stories of families, like that of Simon Oladipo, who lost a loved one at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) due to a series of bureaucratic hurdles and unethical practices.

The hurdles seemed to have been designed to extract more money from grieving families.

These tragic tales underscore the urgent need for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s healthcare system.

Without significant reform and accountability, the cycle of fear, mistrust, and preventable deaths will continue to haunt the nation’s hospitals, leaving citizens to suffer in silence.

Mr Oladipo said: “I have insisted that the solution to Nigeria’s situation does not lie in prayers.

“No. As long as you have people running around government institutions like this, no matter how fervently people pray for Nigeria, it will remain an irredeemable country,” he said.

The federal government recently introduced new policies aimed at curbing the “Japa” syndrome, particularly among medical practitioners.

This mass exodus has created significant challenges for Nigeria’s healthcare system, including a shortage of skilled personnel, which in turn has contributed to issues like misdiagnosis and wrong prescriptions.

Observers say that by retaining more quality medical practitioners and improving their working conditions, the government can address the root causes of misdiagnosis and wrong prescriptions.

A Lagos-based medical practitioner, Bayo Sekumade, was recently quoted by the media as expressing concern about misdiagnosis, saying that “the growing distrust in laboratory findings has serious implications for patient care and the overall healthcare system.

“We frequently encounter lab results that just don’t add up with clinical observations. This discrepancy forces us to question their validity, often delaying crucial treatments”, the media quoted him as saying.

He, however, blamed the situation on the fact that many laboratories were poorly equipped while most machines were outdated and poorly maintained.

Felix Akande, a public affairs analyst, said that these errors often occur due to overworked and undertrained doctors, a situation exacerbated by the Japa syndrome.

According to him, a more stable and well-supported healthcare workforce will better enable doctors and other health sector professionals to do their jobs.

He also said that by introducing the policy, the government aimed to enhance the working conditions of medical practitioners in Nigeria.

This, he said, is done by increasing salaries, improving the infrastructure of healthcare facilities, and ensuring that necessary medical equipment and drugs are readily available.

These improvements, according to him, are expected to reduce the motivation for doctors and other medical professionals to leave the country.

He said the policy aims to not only keep more medical practitioners in Nigeria but also to ensure that they have the right equipment to perform.

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The Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said the federal government was determined to remove all obstacles that hinder effective health care delivery in the country.

He spoke at the 6th meeting of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund ministerial oversight function in Abuja.

“Recognising the need for a more robust governance structure and clearer guidelines, the Ministry and its development partners are committed to making healthcare services accessible to Nigerian women, children and for all citizens,” he said.

If the government would match words with actions, it would go a long way in restoring public confidence in the nation’s healthcare system.

(NANFeatures)