BY CHIOMA OBINNA

A cross section of patients at a hospital in lagos waiting to see a doctor

The long hours patients wait for treatment in public hospitals in Lagos these days is one unpleasant development. Fears have been expressed in several quarters of the dangers posed by this worrisome act which concerned observers say only further endangers lives of patients, many of who are already in critical condition.

Investigations by Good Health Weekly show that the penchant for lengthy and unnecessary protocol at Primary Healthcare Centres to the General Hospitals and even Teaching Hospitals, is common with the average healthcare provider, even during the most life-threatening emergency situation, is nothing short of frustrating.

Whether a patient is in for emergency room treatment, routine doctor’s appointment, a laboratory test, or any appointment for that matter, waiting seems to have become a way of life for anyone seeking medical care in government hospital these days.

Indeed,a patient is more likely to drop dead as a result of the long and arduous wait, than from the ailment that brought him or her to the health facility in the first place. Hence it is hardly surprising that significant number of patient deaths is recorded while awaiting treatment at these public hospitals. The health condition of countless others could only get worse following the lengthy wait.

A case at hand concerns Fanny Agaba who allegedly died of a heart attack following hours of waiting for medical attention in a hospital emergency room in the city. It was later revealed Fanny had complained of chest tightness with pain when she was brought to the hospital.

A post mortem confirmed the cause of death was a blood clot which had lodged in her heart. Fanny’s hospital card showed she was booked in at 10:00 AM on the fateful day, but was instructed to await her turn to see the doctor. So she waited and waited and waited until her heart gave out at 2:45 PM. When she collapsed, an army of doctors materialised and rushed to her aid, but she had no pulse and could not be revived. She died waiting for help. Did the long wait quicken her death? Many witnesses believe so.

They say this is another major flaw in the nation’s health sector. In more civilised countries, patients get quick attention. Not so here. It’s payment before you get attention. Without payment, there is no bed space. Patients are left to lie on the bare floor.A patient could even bleed to death while waiting for “attention”.

The lackadaisical attitude of the health workers does little to help, but in their own defense, they ask whether there are not too many patients and not enough doctors? It is no secret that on an average day, in most public hospitals, one doctor see more than 200 patients. Besides, much of the facilities are often overstretched because of the overwhelming crowd that requires medical services from those facilities.

In the view of President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) Dr. Omede Idris, the long wait is attributable to the fact that the health sector is bedeviled by too many problems that have lead to reductionin quality of service delivery. He noted that the long wait is a factor of non availability of service providers. “If a patient has a condition that he or she cannot stay for a long time and the patient is kept hanging for long, it may even worsen the patient’s condition”.

Currently, there are 39,000 medical doctors serving 140 million Nigerians against the World Health Organisation’s ratio of 1 to 600 persons.

Idris warns that unless government increases training, and particularly, clinic capacity for health workers and doctors, and remunerate them properly, no impovement will be felt. “Once the personnel are not there, and many people are in need of medical attention, patients are bound to spend more hours.”

With most public hospitals becoming more understaffed everyday thereby reducing the quality of service delivery in most government owned health institutions, construction of more comprehensive health institutions especially in the rural areas to provide adequate equipment and trained personnel will reduce the congestion in the general hospitals and tertiary health centres.