Early last year, around February, I had cause to visit a patient at the Ikorodu General Hospital along Ebute road and the time was 7a.m. What I saw there was beyond my expectation. More than one thousand patients were seen in and around the premises, covering all the ground floor and extending to the maternal health center.
The question that came to my mind was, “How many Doctors and Nurses could cater for this enormous crowd of patients?”
A Nurse, who preferred anonymity, told me that the doctors and nurses might be overwhelmed with the vast number of patients, but every one of them would be attended to. The Ikorodu General Hospital, no doubt, needed to be upgraded by employing more staff and Nurses to service the rising population in Ikorodu division and beyond.
During my investigation, the doctors and nurses told me that Ikorodu deserves another hospital because patients from Ogun State, Shagamu and Ijebu-Ode patronize the hospital because of the free medical status of the hospital and the health policy of the State.
On December 23, when I had a close encounter with death and I was quickly moved to the General Hospital by my family at 12:00a.m, it occurred to me that there is a thin line between life and death. I passed out from 12midnight till 9:00 the following morning before I was revived. When I regained consciousness, I was told by my family members present at the hospital that four patients, who were brought in the same night, died before dawn because there were not enough doctors and nurses. They also disclosed that it took a long arduous time before a bed was allocated to me but the Nurses and Doctors on duty did their best to save my life.
Having gained consciousness, I heard different tales from patients in the hospital. In the course of my discussions with them, one of them wondered how the doctors cope with the thousands of patients trooping to the hospital on daily basis. In his opinion, the doctors would end up giving wrong prescription when they get tired. One of the nurses opined that even if the government decides to employ more staff, the hospital would still be short-staffed. She said that though the government is presently providing various medical equipment in hospitals all over the State, such effort would come to naught if there is insufficient manpower to use them.
The experienced nurse also disclosed that many doctors today now relocate to developed countries in search of better pay and better working environment. Hence, she suggested that the only solution to this trend is for the government to build another General Hospital in the division and employ more Nurses and staff because Ikorodu is now a mega town as a result of the mammoth inflow of people from other States.
Although, he has done a lot already in Ikorodu division, I appeal to Governor Ambode to look into the lingering challenges in Ikorodu General Hospital by employing more staff, doctor and nurses. This is because what I saw when I was on admission at the hospital, especially at the emergency ward, was gory.
The lessons I learnt from that sickness are that God wanted to use me to reveal the State of the hospital, and to learn that there is a thin line between life and death. And like a certain proverb goes, “Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity,” it shows me that we should always be cognizant of the sufferings of our people. If you enjoy good health with your family but do not have money, you may tend to blame God until you see people, who suffer life threatening ailments. No one would prompt you to start glorifying God after that.