Ideally, a hospital should be a place for the sick to seek medical attention. However, allegations of extortion, unhygienic practices and tribalism raise concerns about unethical practices in Nigeria’s public and private hospitals. LADESOPE LADELOKUN reports
Still in pain shortly after the delivery of her baby girl at a General Hospital in Lagos, all tired Nneka Agu needed was just a chance to rest to regain some ounce of strength.
But the nurses and other staff of the hospital had another plan. One by one, they filed in, demanding their ‘entitlements’ as they reminded her of how helpful they had been while intravenous therapy was being administered on her.
To halt the discomfort of unceasing financial requests and emotional blackmail, Mrs Agu sought the intervention of a friend, who eventually did an electronic transfer of N10,000, which was meant to be shared by five nurses. The hope for respite, however, still got shattered as more staff disrupted her rest with more financial requests.
“In the General Hospital, they brazenly ask you for money. Immediately I put to bed, the matron that attended to me, right there while taking a drip in the labour room, said, ‘madam, anything for us?’…I said I bought some soft drinks earlier. She said those were for the cleaners, asking me if I didn’t see the work they did. I said I would see what I could do since I was still on drip. Within 30 minutes, they(five nurses) went to put on mufti because they had ended their shift. They came again to tell me they were going because they knew I would be discharged before evening. They requested money again. I was in pain and tired. I just told them to send their account number. I begged a friend to send N10,000 to them.”
She continued: “After I was discharged, another nurse that probably just resumed her shift was coming behind us. She was requesting for money. Then, someone from the Admin. department came again. She said I didn’t give their department anything. I told her I was already broke.”
Narrating what she described as needless tribalism at the point of payment, she said: “When my husband went to pay for delivery, they separated Igbo from Yoruba. They said ‘if you are Igbo, go this way,if you are Yoruba, go this way’. We paid N49,000. We found that Yoruba paid N40,000.We were initially told that with evidence of LASRRA (Lagos State Residents Registration Agency) registration, delivery would be free. We were later told that it was no longer free.”
‘How hospital staff share donations, materials from patients’
Sharing her experience as a social worker in a General Hospital(name withheld), Tamuno Edward(not real name) revealed how funds, items from donors – churches, philanthropists and NGOs- are shared, even when meant for the less privileged without the financial muscle to foot hospital bills.
She said: “In every government hospital, there is a social work unit. For those, who deliver their babies and run away and can’t take care of their babies, there is a special fund for people like that, which is donated through the office of social work care givers. The Catholics started social work in Nigeria. They took it to hospitals because they felt that is where it’s needed the most. And, that is what gave birth to midwifery. Private hospitals are not into social work. The Catholics still maintain that tradition. They go to government hospitals to donate funds, relief materials to those who are unable to clear their bills.
“Apart from Catholics, other denominations and members of society have also keyed into the practice. They send donations and materials to government hospitals. These relief materials are shared among social workers. In the hospital where I work, the chairperson takes N1 million. The relief materials are subsequently shared. In fairness to them, those genuinely in need of bailout have their hospital bills paid by the social work unit. For example, if they are supposed to pay N260,000, because it’s coming from the Social Work department, N100,000 is paid because they know it is coming from within, and the General Hospital knows that some funds have been given to the Social Work Department. Then, the Social Work Department also provides half of the baby items.”
I was told to pay N56,000 without examination, diagnosis at St. Leo’s Hospital– Patient
Following allegations of unethical practices, the activities of Saint Leo’s Catholic Hospital in the Ikeja area of Lagos recently came under scrutiny.
Although the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) had at different fora asserted that the medical practice in Nigeria still maintains high ethical standards despite the mass exodus of health workers and the nagging issue of underfunding of the sector, reports about unethical practices of health workers still stir concerns.
Only recently, a domestic worker, Cynthia Davis,(not actual name) in need of medical attention, approached St. Leo’s Hospital. According to her, without any form of test, she was asked to cough up N56,000 for treatment, an amount she deemed outrageous.
Although she eventually paid N22,000, transfer record of the said amount, seen by Sunday Telegraph, showed it was paid into a private account owned of one John Kanebi Aniagwu through an Opay account on November 20, 2024.
“When I got to the hospital, no test was conducted on me. I was just told to bring N56,000 for treatment. After I pleaded that I couldn’t afford it, it was reduced to N36,000. I said I couldn’t still afford it but I was told to go away. We eventually settled for N22,000 after my boss intervened. They delayed treatment again, insisting they would not treat me, even after payment. Again, that was resolved. But I was surprised that the money was paid into a private account. When I was eventually attended to, I was taken to the emergency ward, where I was given ‘a drip’ ( intravenous therapy) and injected once before I was told to leave the following morning ,and that was all,” she said.
According to her, she left the following morning feeling unwell and desolate, stating that she had to seek proper treatment in a different hospital.
Meanwhile, checks by Sunday Telegraph, however, revealed what is considered the sad experiences of Nigerians, who claimed to have sought medical attention at Saint Leo’s Hospital.
In a post seen on Top-rated.online,one Ifechukwu J alleged: “This Hospital just killed my nephew. How can nurses and doctors leave a pregnant woman in labour for four hours unattended? God will punish all the nurses and doctors on duty yesterday night at ob/gyne section. The pains you caused us will be returned to you people double.”
On the same platform, one Blessing C alleged: “There is need to put more effort into cleanliness and fumigation. I had several mosquito bites and saw rats roaming about. Some Nurses are nonchalant. I never want to be admitted in that kind of environment ever again. It was made compulsory that I buy the prescribed medicines from their store even when I told the woman I didn’t have enough money and would like to buy it when I get home. My plea was fruitless.”
Meanwhile, when Sunday Telegraph visited the hospital, efforts to speak with the Chief Medical Director were fruitless as the men at the security post insisted he was not around after several hours of waiting.
However, our reporter was ushered into the office of the Secretary of the hospital after demanding to speak with a person that can address complaints against the hospital.
The Secretary, who refused to be identified, dismissed the allegation by Davis that money was paid into a private account, adding that the hospital parades qualified and experienced doctors that show high degree of professionalism.
“That account you talked about is not a private account. It belongs to the owner of the hospital. If you go to the account department, you will see it displayed there. It is because of those who don’t have cash and ATM cards. And, she can’t just be given an injection and a drip. She must have complained. The doctors treated her based on her complaints. The doctors here are experienced doctors. They have come across all manner of illnesses. It is not in every case that a test must be conducted. And, let me state that we don’t just bill. This hospital is the cheapest hospital you can find around here,” she explained.
Reacting, radiation therapist and National Union of Practitioners of Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( NUPCAM) advisor, Prof. Ndubuisi Nwakakwa, said money should not be the primary focus of medical personnel, when dealing with patients. The Lagos College of Health Technology lecturer said there was a need for medical practitioners to show empathy when handling patients.
He said: “The first thing is to diagnose a patient very well before you come up with bills. Sometimes, you need to refer a patient to another doctor to have a second look. Exhaust all investigations before you come up with a cost. When it comes to counselling, charges and prescriptions, medical personnel should show empathy when handling patients.”
Compelled to buy low quality food
Describing his experience as one of worst healthcare services he had seen, BaridueBadon @BadonB on X , told how his mother was admitted at the University Teaching Hospital for six months, stating how patients were allegedly compelled to buy only the food prepared by the hospital; something he said was worse than what prisoners eat.
“My mum was admitted in the University Teaching Hospital for 6 months. It was one of the worst healthcare service I had seen in my life.
I actually did my house job in the same hospital 12 years ago.
“The first shock was compulsory feeding. Every patient is forced to eat hospital food . You can’t opt out of it. This food is worse than what people in prison eat. The cost was N2,000 per day. I could not understand why a hospital will force patients to eat their food. The workforce is overstretched. In some cases, patient relatives are the ones giving IV fluids and drugs… I mean IV drugs oh!! ”
He further alleged: “I had connections, and with all my network, things were still very difficult. We had to keep begging teams to review. Her surgery was cancelled 4 times.
“First, Registrar didn’t check she was on a medication she didn’t need to before surgery. It was found out in the morning of the surgery date.
“The second was cancelled because a nurse told her to eat food on the morning of the operation.
“Third was cancelled because, when they wheeled her to the theatre, NEPA took light..
“The fourth was cancelled because all the medical team members were going to a conference. I had to take my mum to a private hospital, got the surgery done, and brought her back to the hospital.
According to him, despite his frustrations and poor sanitary condition of the hospital, he parted with millions of naira.
“If I faced all these, spent over N6million with all my doctor friends and connections. Imagine what the common patient is going through.
“During my time, the numbers of mosquitos in that place can carry you to theatre. Very soon, snakes and rabbits will set IV lines as the height of grass everywhere is alarming. We can do better!!” He alleged.
We don’t condone extortion, tribalism – LASG
Reacting to allegations of unethical practices in Lagos hospitals, the Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, dismissed accusations of extortion and tribalism, calling on members of the public to report cases of unethical practices to the relevant government agencies.
“The Lagos State Health Service Commission penalises errant workers. We don’t condone unethical practices. We don’t condone extortion. We are very compassionate.”
On the allegation of tribalism in Lagos hospitals, he said: “Nothing of such happens in our hospital. If you know anyone involved in such, get their name, their department, that’s why you’re the Fourth Estate of the Realm. We can’t just walk into a hospital and raise accusations. Let’s have their names and we can take it from there.”
Nigerians lethargic about lodging complaints, thereby can’t get justice – Ex-MDCN Registrar Sanusi
Baring his mind on why bad eggs in the medical profession get away with unethical conducts, the immediate past Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr Tajudeen Sanusi, told Sunday Telegraph that not many Nigerians lodge formal complaints to the appropriate authorities for action when they feel wronged.
According to him, apart from the lethargic nature of the general public , the rule of law hardly prevails in Nigeria.
“When a patient stands before a doctor, that doctor owes that patient duty of care. Duty of care in the sense that you listen to the complaints. Of course, there are protocols. You take a card. You do what you want with the card. You listen to the complaints. Then you make writings and whatever, you can then say ‘ go and pay’… The moment you engage that patient in a discussion, you owe that patient duty of care and that doctor will be held accountable for whatever happens. “There’s a problem in Nigeria. I don’t know why people cannot complain formally. If you are engaged in public service, we have public service rules that guide your conduct. Apart from professional ethics that binds you together as a professional, which states the dos and don’ts. So, if you’re a public servant, and you’re being paid with tax payers’ money, you don’t owe it a duty to collect money from any patient in whatever form. Whatever money the patient has to pay will go through official channel. But because people don’t generally report, that’s why people get away with a lot of things, and for the fact that, in Nigeria here, they don’t allow the rule of law prevail. Having said that, the general public does not report. It’s only a few people that have the guts and boldness to report.”
On how ignorance robs many victims of unethical practices of justice, he added: ” I was the Secretary of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigative panel for eight years. In some of the cases we investigated, you would see that these people were not aware that such a body exists, let alone the fact that you can make reports to them. Some of them were just satisfied with the fact that they knew where to report doctors. It is ignorance. It is not lack of confidence in the system. When people write sometimes and you tell them to put the complaints in form of an affidavit sworn to …That is the last you will hear about it. Then, some people come with the mind of coming to claim damages. But by law, MDCN cannot award damages. So, that sometimes discourages people from reporting. However, there are some smart ones. They report the conduct of the doctor to MDCN. They institute a lawsuit in court, trying to claim damages. ”
He, however, called on the National Orientation Agency(NOA) to raise awareness about how Nigerians can report cases of unethical practices among medical practitioners to get justice.
He said there was a need for the agency to be rejigged.
Doctors most disciplined professionals in Nigeria – NMA
Commenting, President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Bala Audu, urged victims of unethical practices to channel their complaints to the appropriate quarters to seek redress.
“If you’re extorted, and you have a genuine case, whether private or public sector, there are direct methods of getting redress. For the health sector, we have the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. If it’s a nurse, we have the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; if it’s a laboratory person, we have the Laboratory Council of Nigeria; and so on and so forth. Each professional, with the multi-disciplinary professions in the health sector, has a specific regulatory body that is saddled with the issue of ethics and violation of ethics, ” he explained.
He described Nigerian doctors as the most disciplined professionals, adding that they are well sought after across the world because they are well trained.
“Doctors are highly regulated. They are the most disciplined professionals in Nigeria. Do you know what? Because of the discipline and training of Nigerian doctors, Americans come to Nigeria to take Nigerian doctors; England comes to Nigeria to take Nigerian doctors. Australia, Saudi Arabia come to Nigeria. Do you know why? Because they are highly disciplined and well trained. It is very difficult to find bad eggs. The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria is very strict on discipline and ethical practices,” he told Sunday Telegraph.
