Just so you know and understand that I did not just come up with this conclusion, I did my research. Let me start by saying some few things;


Patients go to the hospital when it is practically too late. Most times, they go to the hospital when their health conditions have reached a point of no return. At this point, there is nothing the healthcare professional/facility can actually do for them than to manage their present health condition until God finally calls them home.


This actually means that, there are some illnesses that are actually present in our bodies that we don’t know about and for us to help ourselves, we need to undergo certain tests and checkups. The liver for example is the largest internal organ in the body and it can still be functioning even after 70% of it function is gone. Until when it gets to 80% sometimes before the patient will start experiencing signs and symptoms of Liver failure.
What am trying to say here is that, there should be a system to constantly remind individuals on the importance of comprehensive medical checkups which is very important.


Now, Money is actually a limiting factor to some individuals but I got to understand that with constant counseling on the importance of the medical checkups most patients source the money to do this tests. This comprehensive medical tests are many but individuals can undergo them base on their financial capabilities and can even go as low as doing this tests one after the other.


I was in a pharmacy one day, when a young boy came complaining of mild headache and tiredness. He was given a drug to take and few hours later, the boy was rushed back to the pharmacy with some things on his body like skin eruptions. The pharmacist said he was suffering from hypersensitivity reaction. I was made to understand that the child has inherited the problem from his parents but my question was that, is there no way the medical facility will have that information saved somewhere in order to prevent the occurrence of such in the first place? and also a means in which other healthcare facilities could also have access to that information about the boy so that whenever he goes other healthcare centers, he won’t have to worry about anything anymore. If there was a system to have all our records in check, I am very sure what happened to that boy would not have happened.

Continue reading from the source:

https://afrohits.com.ng/the-care-part-of-healthcare-in-nigerias-healthcare-system-is-missing/

The Nigerian Healthcare system needs total overhaul.
Good writeup!

Honestly

Mrkcee:
The Nigerian Healthcare system needs total overhaul.
Good writeup!

It's not only about the system, but the citizens' level of enlightenment and health-seeking behaviour need to improve too.

As the OP rightly noted, Nigerian patients only go to the hospitals when there conditions have already become irredeemable, compared to their counterparts abroad.
That's not the fault of the healthcare system.
The boy in the write up, for instance, has no business going to the pharmacy as his first point of call when his condition hasn't been properly diagnosed and documented.
Even abroad, there's no way that pharmacy would have access to his medical records.
The health seeking behaviour in Nigeria is very poor, and I think poverty and ignorance contribute majorly to that.
All in all, both the citizens and the system are to share the blames equally when it comes to the very poor health indices in Nigeria.

ChybuzzDD:


It's not only about the system, but the citizens' level of enlightenment and health-seeking behaviour need to improve too.

That's not the fault of the healthcare system.
The boy in the write up, for instance, has no business going to the pharmacy.
Even abroad, there's no way that pharmacy would have access to his medical records.
All in all, both the citizens and the system are to share the blames equally when it comes to the very poor health indices in Nigeria.

Exactly, I totally agree!

Thanks

Mrkcee:

Exactly, I totally agree!

Who will enlighten the citizens?

Mrkcee:

Exactly, I totally agree!

Who will enlighten the citizens?

ChybuzzDD:


It's not only about the system, but the citizens' level of enlightenment and health-seeking behaviour need to improve too.

As the OP rightly noted, Nigerian patients only go to the hospitals when there conditions have already become irredeemable, compared to their counterparts abroad.
That's not the fault of the healthcare system.
The boy in the write up, for instance, has no business going to the pharmacy as his first point of call when his condition hasn't been properly diagnosed and documented.
Even abroad, there's no way that pharmacy would have access to his medical records.
The health seeking behaviour in Nigeria is very poor, and I think poverty and ignorance contribute majorly to that.
All in all, both the citizens and the system are to share the blames equally when it comes to the very poor health indices in Nigeria.

You need to understand that is not all illnesses that a patient will go to the hospital.

ChybuzzDD:


It's not only about the system, but the citizens' level of enlightenment and health-seeking behaviour need to improve too.

As the OP rightly noted, Nigerian patients only go to the hospitals when there conditions have already become irredeemable, compared to their counterparts abroad.
That's not the fault of the healthcare system.
The boy in the write up, for instance, has no business going to the pharmacy as his first point of call when his condition hasn't been properly diagnosed and documented.
Even abroad, there's no way that pharmacy would have access to his medical records.
The health seeking behaviour in Nigeria is very poor, and I think poverty and ignorance contribute majorly to that.
All in all, both the citizens and the system are to share the blames equally when it comes to the very poor health indices in Nigeria.

Westniggur:
Who will enlighten the citizens?

The individual, family(nuclear, extended), community, friends, peer groups, religious leaders, community health workers, schools, hospitals(only when patient has made himself available after being properly directed by any of the previous groups).

Westniggur:
You need to understand that is not all illnesses that a patient will go to the hospital.

Yes, one can make use of over-the- counter medications for minor ailments like flu, etc., but not for yet to be diagnosed problems or persistent ones.


Even for flu, most people abroad still go to the hospitals for the right diagnosis and care, as other illnesses(eg HIV, HBC, HCV, EBV, etc) also sometimes present with flu-like symptoms.

I have seen many people with flu going for CT scan just to make sure they don't have chronic sinusitis or nasal polyps, but that's unheard of in Nigeria. Even those whose conditions deserve a CT or MRI scan never go for it once they hear about the price.

Until the problems of ignorance, poverty, and out-of-pocket payment/absence of insurance are sorted out, the Nigerian health indices will continue to remain poor.

Your point is reasonable and clear but my point is; what if all this things you have said are not in proper place, who will make sure of it? The community health workers have failed to do their Job and the individual doesn't have access to all this vital informations. I think maybe you need to travel round and see what am talking about.

ChybuzzDD:


The individual, family(nuclear, extended), community, friends, peer groups, religious leaders, community health workers, schools, hospitals(only when patient has made himself available after being properly directed by any of the previous groups).

People often refer to teaching hospitals as "burial grounds" (forgotten the exact term I heard). They often say most patients admitted by teaching hospitals end up dying.

One time, I told a guy I was discussing with that there's little or nothing healthcare workers can do when a patient presents too late. I mean, what magic can be done in a patient with widespread metastasis, for example?

Thing is, most Nigerians (Africans?) are careless about their health. A lot of people would rather patronize the pharmacist instead of seeing a doctor. There are PREGNANT women that would walk up to a drugstore and buy any OTC they like.

Recently, a certain man I know was told by a lab scientist (certainly a quack) that his insomnia was because his prostate is enlarged. The scientist asked for N7000 for a test to confirm this diagnosis.

I think the first thing to look at is our orientation. This is where the government, community health workers, educated family members, school teachers and pastors have a lot to do. We need to improve on our orientation. People should be taught the normal pathway to accessing healthcare. People should be taught how to make the doctor the first point of call (primary health centres) and not the nurses, pharmacists, labscientists, etc. Nigerians must be taught how to seek REGULAR medical checkups. This is even cheaper, if you look at it deeply.

The next thing is our healthcare system. This needs a complete overhauling. We trully lack facilities and manpower. It's almost becoming chaotic in our hospitals (the regular DOCTOR-JOHESU fights, etc). Government must decide to come up with long-lasting solutions to incessant strikes. The salaries of healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc) should be reviewed.

We are just careless in this part of the world. Sometimes, the things I see leave me shocked! Many of us only use our seat belts when we see policemen/Road Safety officers on the road. Recently, I was in a bus. Most of the occupants had their face masks but they didn't put it on. As we approached a police checkpoint, everybody got his/her mask and wore it. Imagine!

OP, your submission is true but I think the blame should stretch across both sides of the divide. Why we are quick to point our fingers at the government when bad things happen, we should understand that a certain degree of responsibility is expected of the citizens.

Well spoken. Everything you have said is true. Thanks for a good contribution. The responsibility should be stretched across.

TONYE001:
People often refer to teaching hospitals as "burial grounds" (forgotten the exact term I heard). They often say most patients admitted by teaching hospitals end up dying.

One time, I told a guy I was discussing with that there's little or nothing healthcare workers can do when a patient presents too late. I mean, what magic can be done in a patient with widespread metastasis, for example?

Thing is, most Nigerians (Africans?) are careless about their health. A lot of people would rather patronize the pharmacist instead of seeing a doctor. There are PREGNANT women that would walk up to a drugstore and buy any OTC they like.

Recently, a certain man I know was told by a lab scientist (certainly a quack) that his insomnia was because his prostate is enlarged. The scientist asked for N7000 for a test to confirm this diagnosis.

I think the first thing to look at is our orientation. This is where the government, community health workers, educated family members, school teachers and pastors have a lot to do. We need to improve on our orientation. People should be taught the normal pathway to accessing healthcare. People should be taught how to make the doctor the first point of call (primary health centres) and not the nurses, pharmacists, labscientists, etc. Nigerians must be taught how to seek REGULAR medical checkups. This is even cheaper, if you look at it deeply.

The next thing is our healthcare system. This needs a complete overhauling. We trully lack facilities and manpower. It's almost becoming chaotic in our hospitals (the regular DOCTOR-JOHESU fights, etc). Government must decide to come up with long-lasting solutions to incessant strikes. The salaries of healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc) should be reviewed.

We are just careless in this part of the world. Sometimes, the things I see leave me shocked! Many of us only use our seat belts when we see policemen/Road Safety officers on the road. Recently, I was in a bus. Most of the occupants had their face masks but they didn't put it on. As we approached a police checkpoint, everybody got his/her mask and wore it. Imagine!

OP, your submission is true but I think the blame should stretch across both sides of the divide. Why we are quick to point our fingers at the government when bad things happen, we should understand that a certain degree of responsibility is expected of the citizens.