Abimbola Adebola (not real identity), a head teacher at a private primary school in Lagos is one of those who have experienced the difference between the two worlds, having taken his sister, who had been involved in an auto-crash to an India hospital for treatment. He disagrees largely with the suggestion that Nigeria’s health problem is more of poor equipment and infrastructure. He tells his story below:
Tell us about your experience accompanying your sister to India for medical treatment. How different was it from what you experienced in Nigeria?
A world of difference. Let me start by saying that nobody would be able to appraise and describe what happened during most of those medical trips, than the escorts, because in most cases, the patients are too weak or barely conscious of what is going on around them. Having experienced both worlds, I can tell you with certainty that the treatment we received in India was far better than what we received here. As a matter of fact, there is no basis for comparison. My sister was involved in an auto accident along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. She was the lone survivor in a car accident that left three people dead and two with spinal chord injury. She was immediately rushed her to the Ogun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH); but because of the distance to Lagos, where we reside and also to have her access better medical treatment, we had her brought to Lagos. Let me also say that we didn’t immediately have the intention of taking her to India or anywhere outside the country, so we took her to a popular hospital in Ikeja, which is one of the ‘best’ hospitals in Lagos. She was diagnosed with hip fracture and twisted ankle. After all the hullaballoo, the consultants took her in and for like one month placed her in the ward and put something like a clamp to firm up the broken hip. And then she was discharged. She spent another two months at home recuperating; and then we found out that there was a problem. She could not walk properly and her left leg had also become shorter by about 10centimetres. The doctor told us it was because she was being lazy and we were all like forcing her to march the ground more steadily and walk properly. But she kept telling us how painful it was and at a point, we took her to another consultant, who also consults for the Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi. He told us to go and do a CT scan to assess why the leg was getting shorter. We did the scan and lo and behold, the doctor found that the hip had become more damaged than when we took her to the hospital. Let me be honest with you, I can never bring myself to forgiving them in that hospital. When we showed them the scan at the hospital and the extent of damage that had subsequently occurred, the said they would try skin traction; if that did not work they would try bone traction; and if that failed, they would then perform an operation. That instantly showed us that they didn’t know what they were doing. The doctor was practically going to be doing trial and error on my sister until they got it right- if they ever would.
So what was your next step?
It was now time to look for remedy. We went back to the consultant who had recommended the CT scan. Having seen the extent of the damage, he told us that even Igbobi could not handle it, even though they would ordinarily tell us they could. We went to the bank where she was working and showed the scan to the HMO, who considered the option of taking her to Igbobi, but we told him what the consultant had told us, that they would only put metal in the hip, which would eventually react and worsen the case. The consultant then suggested that we consider going to India for her treatment. We went online and eventually settled for Indra Pasta Appolo Hospital. We started negotiating with them. They asked to see the CT scan and the MRI, which we sent to them via the internet. All this while, they were also consulting with their doctors and experts to see if they could handle it. They told us that what they would do is hip replacement. The fracture was no longer fresh, they said, otherwise they would have just gone ahead with the treatment. At that moment I remembered all the time we had spent at the Lagos hospital and the extent of damage it had led to. They told us that ultimately, they would replace the hip and that they will not use metal because the body reacts to metals. Rather, they would use ceramic. They consulted each other and took their time before eventually agreeing for us to come over. It was at the end of this period that they now told us to come over. On getting to India, they were able to have a proper picture of the damage. They also took another look at the ankle. After one week of observation, they told us they could only work on the ankle at the moment. They said the hip was already far gone and we would have to wait until it healed properly, before they could take it out and do the replacement. We were told to come back in another six months for the hip replacement. They also told us the hip can only last ten years, at the end of which she would come for check up and they would access it ant tighten it if necessary. Ordinarily, they told us, they do not perform this kind of surgery for somebody of her age- she is in her late 20s. But for the peculiarity of her age, such operation is only good for people above 50, who are no longer very active.
What other thing struck you about their mode of operation?
They do not leave you in the dark. For everything they do, they would explain to you and carry you along, explaining in detail why they need to do what and what. This is quite different and quite unlike Nigerian doctors, who prefer to keep you in the dark and even snap at you, if you as much as summon the courage to ask a question. Do you know that the doctor at the hospital in Nigeria had to report to the patient’s place of work that the patient absconded? After all the damage they had done. Can you imagine the effrontery! Another remarkable thing is that you never have to go anywhere outside the hospital to do anything. It is a massive hospital and virtually everything you need to do is available within their facility. It is not like here, where you have to move the patient all over the city to do simple tests. Even oxygen point is by every bedside; quite unlike ours, where you have to carry the cylinder about. Also I found that all the nurses are young ladies, probably between ages 20 and 25 and looking and acting well-trained. When they accompany patients, they exercise all the patience necessary, smiling, showing care, love and friendliness. For me those are people who enjoy their job.
Some Nigerian doctors have said that the fact that people throng to these foreign hospitals does not necessarily mean they are ahead of us. What’s your take on this?
I can categorically tell you that they are ahead of us. They know what to do at every interval. I also discovered that they (India) seem to have identified medical care as their strength and are just strengthening and consolidating themselves in it. This is also why they have seemingly wrestled the market from the Americans and Europeans. The US for instance, is more expensive; whereas India is relatively cheap. One thing I must also not fail to mention is the fact that they have a point they call International Lounge, where all international patients are received on arrival like a first point of call. From there, they give you all the attention you need until you’re through. Like I said earlier, it is a massive hospital, with probably more than 2000 staff. We went to their orthopaedic unit, but I can tell you that they cater for virtually all kind of illness.
Some Nigerian medical experts have said that the difference between countries like India, Germany and the USA, where Nigerians migrate to for health treatment are only ahead of us in equipments, and that if our health sector could only get the right funding….
Don’t let anybody deceive you; it is not only in the area of expertise. Medical personnel’s approach and attitude is also very important and we are clearly far behind in that regard. And then some of our so-called consultants, whose opinions are supposed to be reliable, thrive mainly on trial and error; even with critical health issues, and end up doing more damage to the patient’s situation. And yet they could not be humble enough to accept their inadequacies. We were only fortunate to have come across a more experienced personality, who advised us to go to India.
