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My History teacher in history, Mrs. Vero Okpomo , firmly believes my choice of Architecture as a profession is a monumental loss to Medicine.

Nearly 30 years ago, that was her expert opinion and as recent as December 2008, she reaffirmed such sentiments. A teacher’s opinion shouldn’t be trifled with, so I must confess I’ve had cause over the years to consider whether I’m not some kind of prodigal architect. But to Mrs. Okpomo’s eternal credit, she noticed my keen interest in matters of health, and this dates back to long before I had any inkling of my professional and career preferences.

At the risk of being denounced as a saboteur, I want to state that health is more critical than shelter. If you’ve ever been truly sick, you’ll perfectly understand why they say that health is wealth. And why not? Good health has no attractive alternatives. Ill health and death are not particularly desirable. But shelter, whether the acceptable or marginal type, do have alternatives.

Homelessness is not exactly life-threatening. Mankind has co-habited with this aberration for ages. In the October 28, 2009 edition of Sunday Triumph, the Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun was quoted as saying that Nigeria’s health care delivery had vastly improved. His assertion was based on the fact that the doctor-patient ratio is now 1:4000 and that from a mere six teaching hospitals in 1960, the number has swelled to 30! But not every doctor shares this optimistic outlook.

During the recently held annual general meeting of the Abuja branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Jerry Oguzie revealed that only one doctor attends to 100,000 patients! I’m not about to take sides with either of these eminent medical personalities, but the mere fact of the wide disparity in the statistics speaks volumes of what is not exactly right in Nigeria’s long-suffering house of health.

I’ve elected to present facts concerning doctors not because the other medical professions are less critical. Far from it. Medicine is the field I’m most conversant with and as I stated earlier, I probably know more doctors than architects. Dr. Alexander Bekweri Akani heads the Family Medicine Department at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. I’ve known since his medical school days as light-hearted and easy-going. Very few things bother him and he is blessed with a stable and loving family.

In our undergraduate days in the 80s, we played lots music and mischief; of the harmless sort, that is! It came therefore as an absolute shock when I learnt of his hospitalization a few weeks back. Alex expectedly tried to make light of the situation but his doting wife of nearly two decades, Nedie, was more forthcoming. It turned out Alex had a mild stroke and had to be kept on the bed for over a week; a most difficult task to pull off with a doctor. Sadly, Alex’s situation paints a sorry picture of what healthcare professionals are up against.

It is especially so in the public sector where there is always so much to accomplish but so few and so little to work with. Most public health institutions are grossly understaffed and underequipped. When you factor in our precarious power situation and the unending antics of venal politicians, you have a situation that is capable of torpedoing our loftiest developmental aspirations. Wuse General Hospital is probably one of the busiest in the federal territory. Dr. Okoli was until a few months ago, one of the overworked staff there. While at Wuse, he saw an average of 100 patients during a 6-hour consulting period.

That means an average of 3.6 minutes per patient, including turnover time. WHO says 20 minutes/patient is the acceptable minimum. So due to no fault of the doctor, he is compelled to diagnose and prescribe within 3 minutes. And he is subjected to this harrowing ordeal five days a week. And this is in addition to other equally critical clinical and administrative responsibilities. It shouldn’t come as a surprise when the services they render sometimes fall below expectation.

That’s what chronic fatigue does to us; something economists aptly dub, diminishing returns. Dr. Okoli was recently redeployed to the General Hospital in Nyanya, but even there, it’s the same story. During a recent night call, he and another colleague had to perform 4 Caesarian sections! Talk of magicians! And do you know how much they receive as hazard allowance? I better not say that here.

Erstwhile aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo wrote an emotive account of how his dear wife, Rachel, died. And this occurred in the National Hospital, Abuja; of all places, and under circumstances that could most likely have been mitigated. The piece left no in doubt that Dr. Ojo and his late missus were the greatest of pals..

Dr. Ojo’s story highlighted issues with the personnel and infrastructure of the hospital that border on incompetence, lack or inadequacy and the near-absence of synergy between the various units. It is hard enough to witness the slow demise of a loved one, but one is quickly brought to the borderline of sanity when those who are sworn to make a difference show scant concern. It is a good thing people don’t usually come to the hospital armed. There would have been many gory incidents.

For its age and size, the National Hospital Abuja (NHA) is certainly one of Nigeria’s best staffed and more-adequately equipped tertiary health institutions. Whether that standard meets the global minimum is a matter I’ll prefer to leave to the gurus and wonks. Since the hospital was inaugurated in 90s, I’ve had course to patronize the services, and I have friends and acquaintances across the professions and cadres. I can therefore say, without equivocation, that under the circumstances, the NHA has discharged its onerous mandate creditably.

Every profession, every institution harbours its fair share of misfits and hirelings. And there’s a sprinkling of this lot even at the highest levels of this hallowed sector. These are people for whom dereliction of duty is a badge of honour. Men and women who have submitted to the irresistible lure of filthy lucre. For them, people’s illnesses and misfortunes are merely convenient stepping stones to vast pecuniary rewards. And on a bad day when you encounter them, you’ll come away with a sour experience like Dr. Ojo’s.

Truth is, the vast majority of doctors and other healthcare professionals are competent and committed. Scores of doctors lose their lives trying to salvage that of others. It is either in the process of combating deadly diseases or in the frontlines of needless wars. I don’t understand what propels an unarmed person towards the battlefront while fully aware that every step takes him/her closer to certain death. What motivates people to place their lives on the line for the sake of others? Is it foolishness or is it madness? Now I wish I had become a doctor as Mrs. Okpomo had wished. Then I would have understood.

Médecins Sans Frontières, know them ? That’s French for Doctors Without Borders, and that about explains what they are about.
We must respect and appreciate them; doctors and rest of them. Relevant authorities must ensure all the right tools are provided them so they can mind their jobs with fewer distractions and less bothers.

Most importantly, they must be adequately rewarded and well remunerated. The thousands of our health professionals who are plying their trade abroad did not leave the shores of Nigeria because they loved her any less than those who consider themselves stranded here. They were frustrated out by the very same reasons our health care delivery system is still presently endangered. And we must take care not to drive many more to that painful but inevitable decision.

If I had my way, doctors and other healthcare professionals will be one of the highest paid in the land. They deserve to earn higher than bankers, and certainly much higher than architects! The only people that should earn higher than them are those who sweat and toil to make them: teachers.Now that’s a bigger matter for a better day.

• OLUGU OLUGU ORJI mnia Plot 542 Durumi District, Abuja. 08051130539, 07025131314 <oluguorji@yahoo.com>

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