Abia state University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) is a DEATH TRAP, please don't fall for it.
I am one of those that believe that the government hospitals are better than the private ones in Nigeria because of my previous experience in Esuth (parklane), UNTH, and The National Orthopedic hospital all in Enugu state. I was always impressed with the number of available professionals I met at these hospitals each time I visited, though the hospitals are always crowded and time consuming but their expertise and result is worth the time.

I returned home on Wednesday 25th July 2018 to meet my Dad who is ill and feel pain around the left side of his waist which makes it difficult for him to walk normal. I quickly used my phone to Google the situation so as to have an idea of what the issue is and found out it's related to the lumbar spinal Cord. There were already made arrangement to visit a private clinic around the neighborhood but with my findings online I disagreed with the arrangement and opted we go to the the government hospital where there will be specialists to attend to him, they tried to alert me of the time and protocols involved in ABSUTH but I dissented and maintained that this is a job for specialists and never for a one man clinic.

By 9:30am Thursday 26th July, we were already at the hospital, procured a card and all the outpatients registration processes then seated on the bench to be called on the next line of action with scores of other patients who came before us. By 11:45am, we were called and handed over a green card to take upstairs and meet a certain nurse who will direct us to a doctor that will attend to my Dad. We climbed up, met the nurse who told us to have a seat amidst numerous other patients who were also there before us, while she wait for the registration team to bring our file to her table then she can register it and submit to the doctor who will attend to us. After about an hour she called my Dad's name and showed me the office of the doctor that will attend to us. We moved from there to join the queue of other patients waiting for the doctor. I observed that no one came out or enter the office after few minutes, then I inquired to learn that the doctor we are waiting for is not even in office, I approached the nurse that took our file there and she confirmed that the doctor is not around but advised we exercise patience and wait for him because when he comes, he is usually very fast in attending to patients so it will not take so long before he will call us in.

The doctor arrived at 2: 30pm and began attending to patients, the nurse was right with the accolades she gave the man's speed because just after 45minutes, it was already our turn, but I had to stay outside so he can attend to the patient alone. After few minutes of consultation, I was invited and handed the file to return to the nurse who will direct us to the orthopedic doctor that can best handle the case. The nurse immediately pointed the door to the doctors office and I went there to meet another nurse who told us that the doctor has gone, She advised we return very early the next day so as to be the first to see the doctor who will resume work by 8:00am on Friday. We went and prepared to beat everyone else the next day so as to receive quick treatment and save time too.

At 7:30am on Friday we arrived at the hospital, we entered the GOPD hall to meet a dark space with 3patients seated already in the dark hall. No staff had arrived yet, we climbed up to the orthopedic section where we are to see the doctor. At the hall upstairs, we met a young man reading voluminous books with a rechargeable lantern, this must be a medical student I assumed, but I was not intimidated with the big big books on the desk because me as a engineer, red from even bigger books, calculators and drawing board in my undergraduate days. We quietly seated in front of the doctors office only whom we considered very important at the moment, minutes later the cleaners came up and hurriedly cleaning everywhere, it's obvious they were battling with time because its almost 8 o'clock. At 8 o'clock light came and few other patients had arrived, everywhere is bright now but no staff can be seen yet till 9:00am when few nurses arrived but just one at the orthopedic section. I was already convinced that the people are not serious with their work since no nurse came before 9. We met the doctor around 10 and after due consultation, he wrote something on the file and handed over to the nurse, he said the nurse will tell us what to do and called on the next patient. The nurse gave me a sheet of paper and directed we go downstairs and do an x-ray before going to the pharmacy to buy drugs. The doctor had written some drugs on the file but we were not allowed to see it, the nurse demanded we pay 300 for what I didn't understand. I paid for it and moved downstairs to the x-ray department, I gave them the sheet of paper and I was told the cost is #3750 for lumber spinal cord xray. I paid immediately and she pointed to another table next to hers where I should go and register it, I shifted to the table and the lady there collected the receipt, wrote down some information there and requested for my phone number which I called out without wasting time. After writing, she looked up and told me that we have to go home and return on Monday because the machine is not good, they had called the engineer but the man is still doing Guy and that I know "otu ndi oru aka na esi eme" (craftsmen behavior). What concerns craftsmen in a big government hospital like this I muttered but everyone could hear my Dad who was already very angry and scolding the woman who initially collected money when she is aware their machine is not good, the woman replied that she is only doing her job and complained they have not been paid for several months. We angrily left the place and moved to the pharmacy to at least get drugs that that will ease the pains.

At the pharmacy, I was told the people that give the drugs are not around and we will have to wait for them to come, it was already 11:15am and someone had not resumed work for the day? What a failed system, I asked the other staffs why someone who has this type of job will not be available by 11:15 and they reminded me it's Friday, not too many people come to the hospital on Fridays and they had not been paid for months now, so people had to find alternative means of livelihood. We waited for the pharmacists who arrived later. They issued me a unique number to take to the accounts department and make payment, I asked of the amount but they said I will be told over the counter, I got there, submitted the number and was told the bill is #4510, so cheap I thought, I quickly paid and took the receipt to the pharmacy where I submitted it and was handed a small sachet containing two different drugs. ( 1card of PREGASAFE 75 Capsule and a tablet) this drugs can't cost up to #1000 in ariaria market but then what can we do. We left the hospital in anger and disappointment but I was personally grieved with the rate at which our state had deteriorated with no hope for the common man.

We would later come back to the hospital again on Monday by 8:00am and Tuesday by 9:00am because it was obvious the staffs only resume work by 9am, and received the same story of a failed x-ray machine and the engineer that is doing shakara. On Tuesday they now informed us not to come back again on Wednesday as they will send text messages to us when the machine is repaired. I met a student there who advised us to seek medical attention elsewhere if we needed it urgently because the machine has been bad for more than two weeks and no money to repair it. Even on that Tuesday they were still collecting money from patients that came for x-ray and then a come tomorrow reply afterwards. All this happened within 6 days of us frequenting the hospital with no tangible result, if this was a case of emergency who knows what my story would have been by now.

Please if you are in Aba, or you have family/loved one living in Aba and it's environs, avoid going to ABSUTH to seek any form of medical attention, the workers there have no conscience at all, they have no joy and have not been paid salaries for months according to them, so will try any means possible to collect your supposed treatment fees to solve their immediate family problems. ABSUTH Currently is a death trap consciously waiting for you to enter, every staff of the hospital knows this including the gatemen. Once you enter, you will be trapped and afflicted.
Be Properly guided.

ABSUTH is a tertiary hospital. If we Nigerians can make our Primary and secondary health care facilities work, it will greatly reduce the burden on the tertiary facilities.

Everybody wants to use a teaching hospital, nobody believes in primary and secondary Healthcare facilities. This country is in trouble