Not all heroes wear a cape, some just need to survive.
The sad stories of Doctors in Nigeria must have spread to all the ends of the world, but in case you re not aware, here is just a bit of it.
This may not only be applicable here in Nigeria, as I don't see it happening in other countries this bad.
We call them heroes, but they are only humans, with mouths to feed and bills to pay. But no one seems to want to hear that, that a Doctor's kid was sent back home from school for not paying up with school fees, that a Doctor could not pay his medical bills after having an appendectomy, that a Doctor's wife delivered and yet to be discharged due to unpaid hospital fees, Doctors are borrowing money in hope that unpaid salaries and arrear will be paid. These are all sad tales only bordering about the welfare of those who are called to service.
When it comes to demands that seek to improve health care training and facilities, a lot will be seen unmet. Where have we got it wrong not to pay workers their due?
Recently the National Association of Resident Doctors called off their 2-months old Strike action without a fulfilment of an over 4 years memorandum of agreement to settle people who risk their lives to save humanity. Needless to say, but this was not the first time this happened
For most of them, the COVID19 affected them negatively, I have friends who often went into isolation after several positive Covid screens, after which they came back to work, some have sacrificed a life of pleasures just to meet up with the dearth of Doctors with 1 doctor to over 600 patient ratio, which reach towering heights during the peak of the Covid pandemic.
As they returned back into the fed hospitals with unmet desires, the people they were eventually fighting for were those who welcomed them back, with cheers..Sad. I felt the tears but when I touched my cheek, nothing was there.
To continue to do what, suffer, treat patients with inadequate facilities, give counsels that they can't follow like rest well, eat well and sleep well exercise, risk their life's and that of their families.
A colleague once said that Nigerian Doctors are just one chronic illness away from penury.
An Unpaid Dr is an Unsafe Dr.
And rightly so too
To some extent I consider fighting for health care in Nigeria a lost course. Many of my colleagues have fled the country, in search of saner pastures, where practice of what they love still has honor.
How about private practice?
You may ask
This one here is one of the dirt in the room, they should be the ones challenging and competing with the public owned facilities, but sadly most of them take advantage of the situation and under-pay their staffs with loathsome salaries and only a few are standing back straight.
I think we need to clarify this hero thing too. Doctors are humans, no super powers, just years and years of training which needs to be rewarded... I think I ve spoken much, but not too much for a rant.
I ll continue in subsequent posts
Thank you.
