- Patients Lament Extortion By Medical Workers
- Culprits Will Be Sanctioned – Govt
By Sikiru Obarayese
Medical staff of the State of Osun General Hospital Asubiaro, Osogbo have been accused of extorting residents who visit the facility for medical attention, as victims have complained of nonchalant attitudes of staff towards patients.
Some of the victims told OSUN DEFENDER that virtually all level of workers at the hospital look for ways to exploit patients or family members in the course of attending to their needs.
Investigation at the General Hospital revealed that Nurses connived with Doctors to sell ordinary materials, such as glove, syringe, provided by government to patients as a basis of seeing a doctor for whatever diagnosis or treatment.
A source who pleaded anonymity revealed: “It has become mandatory to buy rubber glove for N50, no matter what you want to do in the hospital. Even when they did not use it for you, they will not return it to the patient.”
“My child has pain in his chest, anytime I go for my child treatment at the trauma centre, they will tell us to buy glove before they will test his Blood Pressure (BP), and they will not attend to anyone that refuse to buy it. I have bought gloves many times and they did not use it, I suspect that they are returning it to where we bought it and sell it back to others.”
Another source Karimotu Adegbenga said, “they can use one glove for 7 to 10 patients and the number of sick persons at the Trauma Centre daily is not less than 60 to 70, and imagine selling N50 glove to 70 persons throughout the week and that is obtainable at the different departments in the hospital.
Karimotu lamented that sometimes most of the Nurses at the registry do address patients with disdain, affirming that only few of the Nurses are good to patient and as well as in the discharge of their duties.
A source who identified himself as Gabriel who was a victim of a lackadaisical attitude of the Nurses recounted: “A motorcyclist with his pregnant wife had accident in front of my office and we called the O’Ambulance for their rescue, I followed the ambulance to the state hospital.But on our way, the ambulance operatives said they will take the duo to a private hospital for treatment and I protested that Asubiaro will be better.”
“On getting to Asubiaro on emergency, we met a Nurse at the registry, she insisted on looking for her glasses for about 5 minutes before she can write a card for the pregnant woman who was involved in the accident. As I was pressuring her to do her job, she responded that ‘I cannot kill myself’.
A source who anonymously told OSUN DEFENDER about how Nurses move pregnant women from government hospital to private ones for commission, revealed that they mislead those pregnant women about their health and direct them from the state hospital to some private ones, where they have affiliates.
The source told this medium that N10,000 to N15,000 is given to those nurses as their commission.
However, A Nurse who had work in a private hospital told this reporter her experience of how the owner of the hospital,who is a staff in a government hospital, load trucks filled with government free drugs and drop them at his owns hospital at the middle of the night.
The source explained further that they use paper cenotaph to cover the ‘NOT FOR SALE’ label on the drugs and write the description of the drugs on the part.
When OSUN DEFENDER visited the state hospital Asubiaro, it was discovered that patient in their large number were left unattended to.
Beside, the poor attitude of the medical workers, it was also observed that every drug and material needed for treatment or test are sold to patient by the hospital workers at higher price, despite the fact that government is operating a free healthcare system.
This medium also noticed that there are less doctors in the hospital and it takes longer time before a patient can see a doctor. It was discovered that patient who got to hospital after 8am could not see a Doctor until 2pm to 3pm because of the high number of patients.
When this medium contacted the Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), in Osun state, Dr Edward Komolafe on the phone, he said there was no time for him.
Later after some calls, he denounced commenting on the allegations, saying, “I’m busy, and I cannot comment on the matter. Where did you see or heard those allegations?”
The Permanent Secretary of Hospital Management Board, Dayo Olaluwoye while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER revealed the fact that government is operating outsourcing scheme, saying that there are free and paid drugs and the paid drugs are also subsidised to be affordablt to poor.
He said, government has partner with private pharmacist who provide materials to the hospital and patients too.
He affirmed that nothing should be sold by hospital workers wether the essentials or paid one, adding that doctors can only prescribe drugs for patients which they can see at the hospital pharmacy.
Olaluwoye recalled that government has disciplined two doctors and a nurse for that kind of act and promised to do the same on the matter to anybody who is found culpable.
Commenting on the issue of low doctors in the hospital, he said government is working on how to recruit more doctors affirming that the process has reached matured level.
