Dear esteem readers, permit me to share my heartbreaking experience at the above mentioned hospital located in the outskirts area of Ilorin. Alagbado hospital is one of the few hospitals established by the Kwara State government in the early 2000s to cater and provide first class medical treatment at affordable prices to indigenes, immigrants and any living human. As the name implies, "specialists hospital", one would have thought that the services rendered by this hospital should be of first-class standard or better still of global standard, whereas the reverse is the case.
The hospitals has many dilapidated buildings, uncovered windows, no generator in the premises that can work effectively. Sir/ma, not to bore you with rhetorics, the hospital differs not from a mere "buka" (a local canteen for fast food).
On the above date, I woke up to check a friend who I heard was admitted to the hospital earlier. I was sitting at the hospital reception alone with my thoughts; various people from different parts of the town visited the hospital for treatments or to check on patients. At exactly 9am that faithful day, a lady was rushed in, looking very tired and feeble. This lady wore a tattered cloth which implies she is one of the many poor women in our country. One would have thought she was one of the "ALMAJIRIS" (a name for beggars) from the northern part of the country.
Where I was seated, I was watching the drama unfolding between the nurses at the reception desk and those that brought the woman to the hospital. Then, I decided to move closer to them. When I moved close, the nurses were demanding from those that brought the woman to pay for the hospital card before they could attend to the patient (usual process in our health sector). The woman's family were pleading in tears that they should attend to her with the intention of running fast above their legs to look for N3000, meant for the cards.
While watching the entire scenario, I took a closer look at the patience and I saw in her eyes death calling. I couldn't 'control my emotions. With a beating chest, I intervened and paid the N3,000 meant for the card so the nurses could attend to the woman.
After the N3,000, the nurses were demanding for the patient tax payment receipt. At first, I thought within me that the nurses were suffering from hallucination. I asked them what tax payment receipt had to do with hospital treatments, and one of the nurses responded coldly that without the tax payment receipt, they won't attend to the woman, talk less of treating her. On hearing this, I was shocked and I took another look at the patient, this time, her condition was near death. Without hesitation, I rushed to the doctor's office like a wounded lion. Angrily, I screamed on the young man, he followed me to the reception.
At the reception, the family of the woman were in tears. When the nurses narrated what actually happened to the doctor, he bent down his head and in a sober voice, he said "Sir/ma, there is nothing I can do without the tax payment receipt", and he disappeared. I was shocked, perturbed and heartbroken. I waited for 3 minutes, yet I couldn't comprehend what tax payment receipt had to do with hospital treatment and I rushed back to the doctor's office.
The doctor's head was on his table when I called on him. He raised his head and to my greatest surprise, the doctor was in tears. I asked why he refused to attend to the dying woman, and he said it wasn't his fault. He said it was a directive from the state ministry of health under the leadership of the state commissioner for health. He said at the reception, there was a hidden CCTV camera which recorded happenings in the hospital. Again,
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