Lonely deaths in Indian hospitals

Recently, we read about the shocking and sudden death of Chinenye. Chinenye apparently succumbed during a simple elective procedure on her leg at Fortis Hospital, India. The mother and a host of sympathisers had besieged the Indian High Commission crying for justice. The mother alleges negligence on behalf of the hospital. A charge the hospital denies. However, ours is not to judge but to state a few facts.

Our shame

Newspapers have been full of stories of Nigerians dying in Indian hospitals and the latest is just one more in a procession of coffins returning following medical tourism abroad. Nigerian Senators, wives of former Nigerian Presidents, former ministers, Nigerian Supreme Court Judges and ordinary Nigerians have all died lonely deaths in a foreign hospital bed. It has got to the stage that bereaved families advertise the death of a loved one in newspapers: proud that the body was flying in, from a hospital abroad.

Yet, this is what we are reduced to: an assembly of shameless people without national pride. Our communal irresponsible behaviour has led to the collapse of our industries, educational and health care systems. We have systematically run down and bastardized our hospitals and fail to support our health care system with responsible people and significant investments. We are where we are because of the insatiable greed of our people and our past leaders. Leaders? What’s that then?

In my opinion, the blame for these lonely deaths lies squarely on our collective tables of misery. Each individual running to other climes does not solve the problem at home!

Back to Chinenye

Dr Felix Ogedegbe, a practising orthopaedic surgeon in Abuja was distraught to learn about the case of Chineye. He has seen countless numbers of patients trooping to India and a few other countries looking for care that is available in their backyard. Dr Ogedegbe runs Cedarcrest Hospitals and the operation that she went to India for could have been performed easily in Abuja. What a shame!!

Sadly, many patients have very little clue as regards what we are capable of and many do not know where serious help and expertise is available locally. In many situations, this is because of the restrictive laws of the medical establishment on advertising. Yet, many foreign hospitals especially the likes of Fortis regularly flout those same laws by advertising and recruiting patients from Nigeria.

In other situations, our medical practitioners willfully refer patients abroad because of financial gains, kickbacks from Indian hospitals and diagnostic centres. This is where the love for each other and the nation fail us! So much for Nigeria being a religious country!

Misinformed

Patients and relatives, seeking to make an informed choice, are inundated with misinformation by Indian hospitals and their local paid collaborators who give absolutely no risk information. Many are full of praises for their treatment results, marketing aggressively in blatant disregard for our local laws. In their books, there are no risks involved in travelling for surgery. Yet, there are real risks. Please listen and learn!

Real risks

We will attempt to enumerate some of the risks you face when you chose to travel so people are better informed of the choices they have to make. 

1. Blood clots. This is called deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Once you have recently done a long distance travel by air in a pressurized aircraft and shortly after that, you have a surgical operation, you are at a very high risk of massive blood clots which can detach and block the lungs, leading to sudden death. Chineye may have suffered this complication, sadly.
2. Infection. Everyone’s body is wired to fight germs that are in one’s usual environment. Therefore, when you arrive in a new city, your body defences are attacked by new bugs that you are not ordinarily used to. Your infection risk may be higher than normal.
3. Inadequately trained doctors. This does not mean the doctors are not well trained but they may not be well versed in the types of diseases suffered where you are coming from. A case in point is the kind of treatment Chineye travelled for and complications following sickle cell disease.
4. Inadequate assessment. Most people just go abroad and the doctors there have to figure out what is wrong. In many situations, you end up spending all your money on investigations you did not plan for but are essential for safe surgery and treatment. 
5. Language difficulties. Effective communication is an integral part of proper medical practice and important things can get missing in communication. Even a heavy accent can be a barrier to vital medical communication. At least, here in Nigeria, someone can speak your language and translate if necessary.
6. Poor follow up. This is one major concern with foreign medical treatment. The Japanese medical association was said to have resisted opening up her healthcare to medical tourism for years because it was worried about what it considered unethical practice. The main concern was about treating a patient living thousands of miles away and therefore not being able to follow them up effectively. Many times, people cannot go back for follow up treatment. So if there are unanticipated complications such as with drugs, wounds, implants, many run into difficulties.

The way forward

We need to develop our own local health care system designed to treat everyone equitably. Governments at all level should see their responsibility to develop home grown healthcare as sacrosanct, not optional. Doctors and governments must all work to transfer the skills available in other climes home to treat our people. Anyone choosing to go abroad for surgical treatment must plainly understand the risks of death and severe disability that come with such a venture. Nigerians should be sure before travelling abroad.

People die but let us at least die with dignity and pride as Nigerians, not with ignorance.