Death and Nigerian campus clinics - the true story

''Imagine a teaching hospital with just two doctors on a night shift. It's really upsetting experiencing bullsh*t every time one is sick. Doctors literally go on food break right in front of the students queued outside to see them. How?''

Gabriel Udoh (not real name), a 300 level student at ABUAD laments to Pulse about the state of his school's health centre and the nonchalant attitude of the medical staff of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti.

The incident he is complaining about happened barely a week after the students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) protested the death of their fellow student, Austin Okafor, who died while seeking medical attention at the university teaching hospital.

Okafor, who is said to be a sickle cell patient was a 300 level Entrepreneurship student of the Department of Management Sciences in University of Benin (UNIBEN). He had reportedly gone to the university’s health centre on October 2, 2018, for a treatment and was referred to the UNIBEN Teaching Hospital, after he started urinating blood.

Despite his critical condition, the ambulance conveying him with no life support facilities was still made to stop at the Student Affairs Division to obtain a clearance permit before he could be treated at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

According to National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), ‘’after another 30 minutes of delay at the Student Affairs Division, Okafor died while UBTH doctors were struggling to resuscitate him at the Accident and Emergency Ward after another 15 minutes of negligence and insensitivity on the part of the hospital management.

The medical staff in Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics clinics have a duty to save the lives of students

Undergraduates often blame the medical staff for the death of their course mates and usually protest to demand explanations from the staff.

For instance, on Sunday, October 8, 2017, the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti was indefinitely shuttered after students trooped out to protest the death of two of students of the institution.

According to PM News, the two students, who had reportedly complained of malaria on Friday, October 6, 2017, were rushed to the Polytechnic's Health Centre for treatment, but instead of getting relieved of their ailment, their condition worsened and they both passed away in the early hours of Saturday, October 7, 2017.

Also, in July 2017, Pulse reported how students’ riot prompted the management of the Federal Polytechnic, Kogi to shut down the school for four weeks.

A student of the Polytechnic was reportedly stabbed by hoodlums who attacked his lodge. The victim was rushed to the school clinic for treatment, unfortunately, the clinic officials allegedly refused to help the dying student because he was not holding his school Identity Card.

The same incident played out in February 2016 when a female student, Comfort Dazan, who fell ill was allegedly asked to pay N35,000 before she could be admitted into Yaba College of Technology Clinic for treatment.

Punch reported that Dazan was left unattended to when she could not raise the money. It was when her sickness deteriorated that the clinic staff thought it wise to transfer her to the Federal Medical Centre, Oyingbo. She never made it to the hospital.

Again, in February 2017, a 300 level student of Federal University of Technology Minna, Emmanuel Olalekan slumped while playing football on the school pitch. He was rushed to the school clinic and his story ended.

The cases mentioned above account for the many instances undergraduates in Nigerian tertiary institutions have died in their school clinics or hospitals. And while students often put the blame on their schools’ medical staff, the problems in Nigerian tertiary institutions hospitals seems bigger than the alleged professional negligence of the campus medical staff.

The state of campus clinics and teaching hospitals in Nigeria

In April 2018, the Pro-chancellor, Ekiti State University, Mr Dele Adesina (SAN) criticized the poor funding of teaching hospitals in Nigeria.

While speaking at the 10th anniversary of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ado-Ekiti, Adesina described Nigerian school clinics as an eyesore.

‘’It is high time our higher institutions have proper and well-equipped health centres. The poor facilities we have as school clinics are an eyesore. Nigerian students deserve better campus health centres with committed staff who'll not only come to work to dispense anti-malaria drugs but also make a great effort in saving students’ lives, he said.

However, while Adesina attributed the decline in quality health care services in Nigerian teaching hospitals to inadequate funds from government, a staff member of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, who spoke to Pulse on condition of anonymity said he cannot exactly say the amount Nigerian teaching hospitals get in funds, but the teaching hospital regularly receive funds from the government.

‘’Lagos University teaching Hospital gets funds regularly, it has got funds from the government this year too’’, the doctor told Pulse.

Confirming this claim, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in one of its 2018 reports said the Federal Government has approved capital allocations of trillions of Naira over the years to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and other teaching hospitals and medical centres under the direct control of the Ministry of Health.

Moreover, on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, the Federal Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole announced special intervention funds for tertiary and specialist hospitals in the country.

Adewole according to News Agency of Nigeria said, ‘’each teaching hospital would get N300 million, Federal Medical Centres N120 million each, while each Fistula Centre and Specialist Hospital would receive N120 million to improve healthcare delivery.

He said: “In our 2018 budget proposal we plan to install chemotherapy centres in all federal facilities and the government is building capacity for surgical oncology across the country.

“Each of the centres will have a capacity for either cardiac or renal cancer treatment, but Maiduguri has opted for a trauma centre in addition to the cardiac or renal.

“As we move on things will get better for the hospitals offering more opportunities for training,’’

However, as lofty as these promises sound, teaching hospitals like LUTH are still battling with challenges that render their operations ineffective.

Speaking about the state of equipment and facilities at LUTH, the anonymous doctor at the institution tells Pulse that some of the machines the teaching hospital procured for effective healthcare services have developed fault because of poor electricity in the country.

‘’As you know, teaching hospitals rely on energy to run their equipment ranging from intensive care unit to the dialysis centres to the accident and emergency centres.

Once you are a doctor, you have a patient that’s critically ill but cannot make use of this equipment because there is no energy to power them, you would be downhearted.

‘’Sincerely, LUTH is trying its best. We have our own gas plant that supplies power 24/7, though it was newly activated after about a year or more of initiating the project. Now that there is power in LUTH, some of the pieces of equipment are faulty. So, in some ways, health care in LUTH is being hampered’’.

The doctor also identified corruption at LUTH’s top management as one of the reasons the faulty machines have not been repaired.

He said the regular funds the institution get could have been used to put the equipment back to good use but ‘’corruption has blinded the eyes of those at the top that they won’t use the fund for that’’

LUTH at the mercy of corruption

In September 2018, a report by (SERAP) underscores the level of corruption and mismanagement at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH).

The report titled ‘’LUTH deteriorating, in crisis’’ explained how LUTH which is believed to be the best teaching hospital in Nigeria is in a terrible state despite the regular funds it gets from the government.

In a letter to the Minister of the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, the organization said, “Despite huge budgetary allocations, many of the teaching hospitals and medical centres under the direct control of your ministry have been left to fall apart and health care facilities in many of these hospitals lack even the most basic of amenities’’.

A LUTH medical staff who spoke to SERAP said ‘’some beds in different wards are too old to still be in use, but LUTH knows how to manage. Some of the available beds have become dilapidated. Some beds can cause accidents. They have beds from which patients can fall. It has really happened, and I’ve seen it happen. But they keep managing.’

Another senior doctor said ‘’there is poor water supply in LUTH and water is supposed to be an essential commodity, especially in a hospital. It’s deplorable to the extent that water does not run in the taps. You are seeing LUTH’s flowers and wall paints, but it is rotten inside. I will be right to say things are not working optimally in LUTH.’

Back to Afe Babalola Teaching University Hospital

The Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital is probably the youngest university teaching hospital in Nigeria. The institution which was established in 2009 now boasts of the best medical school in the country.

Some of the personalities in Nigerian politics have also admitted that ABUAD teaching hospital is the best in Nigeria.

The outgoing governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, in February 2018, described the teaching hospital as world class while the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo said the facilities at the hospital are good enough to stop Nigerians from seeking medical treatment abroad.

According to the institution’s medical consultant, Dr Olukayode Akinlade, ABUAD teaching hospital is proud of 95 qualified medical practitioners in Nigeria and abroad.

However, Gabriel Udoh believes the medical staff of the teaching hospital are not doing enough to save the lives of ailing students.

While paying tribute to his schoolmate, Pokyes Tongjin Emmanuel, who died at the teaching hospital on Instagram, Udoh put the blame on the staff and the system.

He said. ''It is a common knowledge that the school (ABUAD) has a wack medical system. I have suggested a peaceful protest hoping it would give us an audience with the founder to make things better. We are playing with lives here!

''Sorry Pique for all the pain you went through and more importantly, sorry that you spent your last days in this shithole. You were such a caring person and deserve better. Rest in peace''.

Pulse on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, reached out to the management of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti to react to the George’s accusations against the institution’s medical staff, but the management did not reply to the email.

Well, since mismanagement of funds or lack of it and alleged professional negligence of campus medical staff are identified as major challenges facing teaching hospitals in Nigeria, it is high time the government paid more attention to campus clinics and teaching hospitals by providing them with funds.

It is equally important the government monitors how the funds are used, otherwise, Nigerian teaching hospitals would remain nothing to write home about.