Lack of tools in hospitals causes mental strain for doctors, health workers — Dr Edward

A Nigerian medical practitioner, Dr. Chigaemezu Edward, has said that the lack of basic and major tools to work with in hospitals and health care institutions is a major cause of mental strain for doctors and health workers. According to him: “It is not a new topic to any Nigerian anymore, the struggle that is […]

A Nigerian medical practitioner, Dr. Chigaemezu Edward, has said that the lack of basic and major tools to work with in hospitals and health care institutions is a major cause of mental strain for doctors and health workers.

According to him: “It is not a new topic to any Nigerian anymore, the struggle that is part and parcel of being a medical doctor in Nigeria, from the lack of quality facilities to the lack of equipment, however,  it is now pathetic that the rot has eaten deep into the Nigerian healthcare system.

“Over the past few years, there have been many discouraging reports about the challenges that doctors and by extension, other health workers face working in Nigeria. Most Nigerians are familiar with the lack of equipment, the heavy workload, the absence of opportunities for development and poor infrastructure that can be seen in the health sector, but, not many are familiar with the mental strain that this causes to the medical doctors and health workers in general.

“As a medical practitioner, it comes with the territory for one to care deeply about their patients, thus, it poses a challenge where they are unable to help their patients as a result of the lack that exists in the system OR (Operating Room), where despite doing their best, they lose a patient. In system that seems bent on pulling you down, how do you keep going and how do you rise above it all?”

The optometrist, who posed a challenge to the authorities saying, the problems are “not palatable and the need for change has never been more pressing than now,” said what keeps him going, “is the smiles on the faces of patients who get better because of one successful procedure or the other.”

So, for him, for every 10 reasons he sees to weigh him down, he finds 30 others to lift his spirit, while hoping that things change for the better in the Nigerian healthcare system.

But before that happens, he said, he is determined to make changes and be impactful in his own little ways, adding that “at the end of the day, it feels good to be able to give back to the society in little ways”

Edward added that: “There are perks to being a medical doctor and it is definitely worth the struggle, however, there are times that the system may frustrate you so much and you begin to lose perspective as to why you chose that profession in the first place. Still, there are days that make you smile and you remember why you chose to be a medical doctor in Nigeria.

“It is clear, therefore, that although being a medical doctor in Nigeria can be equivalent to undertaking a herculean task, it is, however, worth it and we have hope in our great nation that the lapses and gaps in the health sector will be a thing of history very soon.”