Extremely Poor Service Delivery at DELSUTH Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Ward.
Am not so sure of how
many persons are looking for a medium or know any to express the
injustice they suffer arising from poor clinical service delivery in
Nigeria, but I want to use this medium to appeal to you to take this
issues as seriously as they come to you until justice is delivered. Your
platform has been a voice for addressing issues surrounding the
helpless and most vulnerable in the Nigerian society. There is need to
further publicize these issues.
On the subject at hand,
it is becoming no news that patients admitted for care in our hospitals
are further admitted to the great beyond by the clinical attendants due
to lack of care equipment, expertise and empathy on the side of the
Doctors/nurses. They have their licenses to kill rather than to save
lives which they do with so much ease and pride.
My name is George. My
experience is one that leaves me with astonishment as to how we can
possibly progress as a nation in every area of our lives when we
approach every issue with an attitude that further abuses the word
lackadaisical, leaving Lexicographers with the trouble to find a word
that describes this attitude.
On the 19th
of March, 2016 my Wife and I arrived the Delta State University Teaching
Hospital Oghara, Delta State (DELSUTH). The ambience of the hospital on
the outside was breath-taking and unexpected after driving through the
highway that leads to a rough terrain with clustered tacky buildings. My
Wife was admitted on Emergency to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Ward of
the Hospital where she was placed on some clinical apparatus to monitor
Blood Pressure which they termed pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.
While being monitored,
the Doctors began brainstorm sessions as to the best procedure to save
Mother and Child which was rational and professional owing to the fact
that the pregnancy was nearly 30weeks.
The Doctors took the
decision to have a C-section to ensure the life of the baby was saved.
My Wife was delivered of a Son at about 7:00pm same day. From inception
of birth, my Son and newborn began to experience the wickedness of a
Nigerian Society earlier described.
As the Paediatrics
Doctor on duty received my Son and admitted Him into the Neo-Natal
Intensive Care Unit (NICU Ward) of DELSUTH, he was in urgent need of
Oxygen. As a dutiful Father, I hastily went to the Gas Plant of the
hospital from where Gas will be issued to assist my Son in breathing
only to meet the absence of the attendant. I called a number posted on
the door, and a man picked chanting “I dey come, I dey come”. I was in
company of a parent who had their baby in the NICU ward whose oxygen was
exhausted and was in urgent need for supply.
We spent 35 minutes
before a man strolled on a motorcycle to render service. This is crazy
35 minutes wasted was enough to kill the children who could not aid
themselves in breathing. As it is a norm in Nigeria, “thank God say he
come”; after all him fit no show at all”. He carried the bottle that
contained gas for 8 hours use costing six thousand naira per bottle.
My son according to the
Doctors was of Extreme Low Birth Weight (ELBW) and their first words of
encouragement was “He will not make it” also “It is a 50:50 chance of
survival”. That was the best way they could show empathy except for very
few who made me know that I should be hopeful for a miracle. I
persevered. Stayed strong believing God for a miracle.
I was made to always run
laboratory test for my Son. Blood samples were taken from him at every
point in time which left me wondering if this is safe practice. Some lab
tests were conducted in the hospital laboratory while other tests must
be done at Sapele town in Delta state at Biomed Laboratory as advised by
the Pediatric Doctors. Annoyingly, one is not notified on when this
test will be conducted in order to avoid driving by night through the
dangerous road between Oghara and Sapele. You are called in between
times to go run tests. I did all of that because my son needed it
without complaints.
Strangely my Son became
short of blood and needed some ‘fresh blood’ to sustain Him as said by
the doctors. Unfortunately my Wife and I were of same blood group but
different from His. We had to source for donors. We were gracious to go
round the hospital to see donors who assisted. Annoyingly, I was mostly
accosted by the nurses or doctors of the Ward, and sometimes at the wee
hours to get some Mililitre of blood for my Son. I could imagine they
felt I was a lazy wizard sleeping while other were busy getting blood
for their children. My Son became ill according to their diagnosis and
need as much as 250ml of blood for transfusion.
This was communicated to
me at around 8:00pm. Thank God I met a student Doctor who volunteered
to donate since it was for children. When we finally got the fresh
blood, the Doctor on duty started the transfusion and in 10 minutes
stopped and was to leave for a dying child. I asked him if it was safe
to leave a child going through infusion for another and he replied
positive. I also asked him if he will return to continue the process and
he replied positive. On return he told me that the process could not
continue as the line of infusion was blocked and we need to continue the
next day with another 170ml of fresh blood to be supplied.
The central Pharmacy
centre was another bottle neck to receiving drugs for emergency as the
female pharmacist were either with their phones going social or utterly
distracted with their male counterparts by African Magic.
Fast forward to 25th
March 2016 (Good Friday), at 3:00 pm I was told that my Son was
critically ill, not responding to breathing and was advised by the
consultant to either let him die or be placed on a bigger machine to
assist him in breathing. The bigger machine called the Ventilator never
worked for more than two hours to assist my son in breathing.
At evening, I met one
Nurse Ngozi at the children ward whom I begged to look after my Son who
was battling with life. She made know while browsing through her phone
that she was not in care of my son and that the nurse for him will soon
arrive. That was a child who was in and out of life. Minutes later one
Doctor Aso arrived and asked to see me. His first statement was that my
Son will not make it. I kept quiet and asked him what was next, he asked
that I buy some drugs which I did. As doctor in care of my son, I tried
to exchange pleasantries. When I gave my name he told me that there was
no need for pleasantries as he was busy.
I gave him the space
required. Few minutes later the nurses and doctors were looking for the
drugs I bought. I excused myself from the room to make a call and on
return the Doctor told me my Son could not make it. I went close to my
son and found out that He was breathing, then alerted the doctor. With
laxity in him he told the nurse to administer one or two things. He
later told me that the child suffered from infections that had eaten him
on the inside. And I asked but how come, infections from where? He gave
no explanations. He also told me that it was the Adrenaline given to my
Son that still sustained him. And it would last for one hour. I stepped
out and returned in 30 minutes to find my child wrapped up. I asked
what it meant and they said He could not make it. I asked again why was
my son wrapped and nobody came to inform me where I sat close to the
ward where every parent stayed and the same Doctor Aso told me he was
busy with some stuff and the nurses are busy and he felt there was no
need to inform me until they are through.
I told him that his
feedback process was poor owing to the fact that I was close to the ward
and my phone numbers were on my Baby’s file. This time he was raising
his voice at me that he told me my son will not make it so what was I
saying. A nurse tried to intervene to calm him down and he replied
“leave me let me talk to him”. I was astonished. Was there voodoo at
play here? A doctor shouting at his patient who did not raise his voice
at him, wonderful? In 10 minutes to that discussion, I was handed a
billing sheet for my son. That is what they were busy doing. On one of
the nights, we paid for Oxygen and it was not properly placed for the
child’s breathing all through the night to assist His breathing. This
was discovered by a male nurse who accosted the female nurse who after
claiming she had properly placed it apologized for not placing it
properly.
that same hospital in 7 days lost 4 children including mine and in 2 weeks lost 7 children how do you explain this? I
am calling on you and other meaningful Nigerians in the Medical sector
and regulatory arm of the sector to look into the process of hospital
management at DELSUTH to ensure optimal delivery. The likes of Dr. Aso
and his cohorts without medical experience and empathy are still on the
prowl in our hospitals looking for kids to devour.
In writing this letter,
I am sore and of the
high opinion that my son was handled worse than a lab rat at the NICU
ward. His death was among others but most especially due to lack of care
arising from abandonment and outright neglect as my Son was battling
for life while they swiftly gave up on him. There was no drug or test
not bought or carried out carried out by his parents and none abandoned.
Most annoyingly, I have
written a letter stating my displeasure on the extremely poor service
delivery by the doctors and nurses of the DELSUTH NICU ward to the HOD
of Pediatrics DELSUTH since the 30th of March 2016. I am yet
to receive a written statement addressing me as to how they are handling
this case. If we do not all rise up to the challenge and face this ugly
monster that stares us directly in the eyes in our hospitals, the
nearest future may leave us with astronomical increase in unbearable
mortality especially in infants.
Yours Sincerely.
George Ogbolu.
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