Fides Media Living the Faith
By Amarachi Okpunobi
Mrs Chukwu was the patient that was rushed unto the female ward that very afternoon. Families from different destinations that were on transit were caught in the web of road accident. No doubt the hospital was getting congested with victims of road accident. It seemed the victims had vexed the gods of the road and the chief priest needed to appease the gods. Some blamed the government for planting road bumbs without putting traffic signs after several months of road construction. Some also were of the opinion that the accidents were as a result of the recklessness of the drivers and cyclists and careless pedestrians while others were on the neutral.
That afternoon, there was no doctor in the female ward. The doctor on call was at the male ward attending to two victims of road accident who happened to be Mrs Chukwu’s husband and the cyclist, Jerry, whom they collided with. Jerry had internal bleeding and could not tarry longer before he parked while the doctor administered treatment to him. His ankle was lost in the accident and his legs broken. There was no way he could have survived it with the carelessness and somewhat irresponsible acts of the hospital and it’s management.
The victims were rushed into the hospital at about 2:41pm and were not given any medical attention till about 6:37pm when the doctor on call arrived the hospital. A little light shone on Jerry whose relatives made a deposit for the medical team to commence treatment but the doctor was nowhere to be found. On the other hand, Mr Chukwu had no phone on him at the scene of the accident and one good Samaritan was there to make a deposit for him. So even when Jerry kicked the bucket, Mr Chukwu was not given any treatment.
Every second passed with a drop of blood from Mr Chukwu. He had a tibia fibula complex fracture. The nurse doubted if he could ever walk again.
Hours later, Mr Jerry’s relatives came to do away with his remains. It was then one of them had compassion on Mrs Chukwu’s husband and decided to deposit the sum of twenty thousand naira for the commencement of treatment on him. But the gates of heaven was shut on Mr Chukwu because the cellphone battery of his helper was dead and no transaction could be made then. The compassionate fellow pleaded with the hospital management to ture on their generator in order to power his phone but the hospital insisted that they would rather have him go out to charge his phone to going against the hospital regulations on bringing electricity by 7:00pm each day.
At exactly 6:57pm, the hospital general Secretary placed a call across for the electricity. Meanwhile, Mr. Chukwu had lost a lot of blood, so the doctor recommended blood transfusion before any treatment be given to him though he was placed on normal saline.
Few minutes later, Mr. Chukwu joined his ancestors and that ended the life of a young father.
Back to Mrs Chukwu, the nurse on duty immediately after Mrs Chukwu was brought to the ward took her history and checked her vital signs. She was gradually becoming anaemic due to the excessive bleeding from the head. Thanks to the nurse who administered manitol to help flush the coagulated blood in her head. She wailed and cried of pain, her husband and her little girls who were also involved in the accident. She knew it will be a hard nut to crack to think they would be leaving anytime soon.
Mrs Chukwu, a young lady in her early twenties and her family of five, herself and husband with three girls was actually traveling from Abia State to Ebonyi on motorcycle in a bid to see her mother who was reported sick for some weeks before their lives crumbled on the road. Unknown to her, her mother whom she hoped to meet on her sick bed has already packed before they commenced their journey to the hospital.
They were all in one motorcycle alongside their luggages. Mrs Chukwu had a head injury, a fracture and other cuts in her body. Her girls, Chinenye had a head injury with a broken leg, Favour also had a broken leg and Mimi sustained injuries on her head and other parts of the body. Stories had it that Mr Jerry who collided with them was on very high speed and had ran one-way and put the family in a pitiable state. Till this day, the family has remained in the hospital with an endless hope that God will send a helper.
Our medical status is poor but that should be more reason why people should try as much as possible to abstain from anything that may lead them into going to the hospital.
A family traveling in one car or bus or even a flight is what I have always abhored and to speak of a motorcycle, that is the height of it all. Nobody wants to die in pains and even if you wish to die, not by road accident. The Chukwu’s family is in state of agony just for carelessness or probably ignorance.
To avoid reoccurrence of such event, all hands must be on deck. The government playing their part by ensuring that road signs are placed at the right points with the street light always on. Citizens obeying traffic rules and regulations, avoiding reckless driving in order to prolong our lives. The health sector is not excluded, it seems they have a bigger role to play because saving life is their calling and they must not forget that. Money should not always be the priority because they are called to serve humanity.
I won’t forget to recommend the good Samaritan who made an effort to see to the survival of Mr Chukwu, if we can get 55% of such citizens, I believe Nigeria will be better than what is was yesterday. Philanthropists and even the government should also put into consideration the poor masses such as Mrs Chukwu (who is now a widow) and other people who have been forced to make the hospital their “home” due to financial constraints.