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| Dr Biodun Ogungbo |
Dirty hospital
Hospitals kill more people than air plane crashes. The common cause of death is often infection. Infections apparently kill more people than accidents, breast cancer and AIDS! Staff members should also be seen to wash their hands before touching you! Be very afraid in a dirty hospital. If they cannot clean their surroundings and maintain a clean hospital, how can they promote healthy living?
No registration certificate
Hospitals must be registered to practise. This should be current and displayed openly. You should look for it and ask if not easily identified. The hospital may be practising quackery or natural therapy. In which case, you decide if that is what you want.
Fake doctor
Doctors must be registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. This should be current and clearly displayed. You should ask to see the certificate if you are unhappy. The doctor should not get angry when asked if he/she is registered as a medical practitioner. If you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts and run. Also, run, if the nurses warn you to leave immediately or refer you to another hospital.
No doctor on duty
There is no doctor on duty when you attend? This applies to public and private hospitals alike. This might mean no emergency cover and, therefore, not safe if you need them in a hurry. This may apply to private clinics and hospitals run by doctors working in public hospitals. If the doctor is not available at certain periods, then this should be clearly stated. You should also be able to call the hospital or doctor at all times.
Unprofessional staff
The reception is bare and not welcoming. The staff are unprofessional, look untrained and unhappy. If they are sad, how can they bring cheer into your life? The doctor looks shifty, dirty and untrustworthy. The doctor is unprofessional in his/her dressing, speech and behaviour.
Is he/she tired, drunk or under the influence of drugs? There may be a problem as well if the doctor does not answer your direct questions. Does he ‘diagnose’ malaria and typhoid before you even open your mouth? Does he not radiate confidence and rather waffles with incoherent medical jargon? You are not safe if your diagnosis is shrouded in secrecy. Seek a second opinion.
No drugs
You have to go outside to buy your own drugs and other materials all the time. This is unacceptable in this day and age. What happens in an emergency? What happens when the relatives are not around? Or there is no money immediately available?
Patients being maltreated
If you see people being maltreated in the hospital, then it may soon be your turn. If you hear that the hospital has a high complication rate, death rate or patients stay for weeks upon weeks without treatment. This may not be a competent hospital if you notice such inefficiency and many other inadequacies. If the hospital cannot treat you, they should be able to refer you to a competent facility. Otherwise, they may be waiting for nature to take its course. We call this waiting for kill or cure, “masterly inactivity.”
The best doctor is your own local general physician
The best hospital is your local hospital and the best doctor, your own general physician. You should have your own local general practitioner who looks after you and is your best buddy. The general practitioner is one of a group of highly trained doctors: trained in looking after personal health mainly when there is no disease to treat. They pick up early symptoms and nip big problems in the bud.
Each person should have a named general physician who looks after all aspects of the client’s health and importantly, keeps all health records. Where there is a need for specialist treatment, the general practitioner refers the client to a specialist in a hospital who then treats the particular problem and returns all records and information on treatment given to the general practitioner.
It is a person’s responsibility to have a general practice physician in a properly organised general practice clinic. This is better than waiting to fall sick and then running helter-skelter looking for help. Check out your local hospital and help them provide this service. Be proactive in getting the best services out of your local hospital.
Our ‘Power to stop stroke’ campaign
In October 2013, Stroke Action, Nigeria, will join the World Stroke Organisation to celebrate a month-long ‘Power to STOP Strokes’ campaign in Nigeria. This will provide the non-governmental organisation with an opportunity to drive awareness and education around stroke and help bring stroke and its related issues to the front burner in the agenda of the Federal Ministry of Health.
Four major activities would run during this month-long campaign:
-Walk & run against strokes
-Power to stop strokes prayer service
-Stroke assembly
-Launch of stroke helpline
We need your help physically, morally and financially to reduce the incidence of stroke in Nigeria
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