EXPOSED: How Nigerian Health Workers Charge Poor Patients More Than Govt-approved Charges

How Nigerian Health Workers Charge Poor Patients More Than Govt-approved Charges, details can be accessed below.

A Twitter user, Ngwoke Ifeanyi, has lamented the startling, systematic corruption in the Nigerian health sector.

In a post by Newsbreak.ng, BrandNewsDay reports that Ifeanyi bemoaned the “pervasive nonchalant and corruption in our country” and how many Nigerian citizens “want it so”…

The young Nigerian who is a Medical Laboratory Scientist, narrated his experience whilst a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in a northeast state, detailing how corrupt medical practitioners beat the system. He described the episode as “an open scandal”.

Nigerian Civil Service is as corrupt as anything, but let me gist you my NYSC story in a state specialist hospital. I’m a Medical Laboratory Scientist. So, I was posted to this hospital lab. When I first showed up, I heard stories of how Corp members came and made money here.

Someone had already told me about the place before NYSC camp, and to avoid temptation (as Deeper Life boy wey I be), I decided that I won’t serve there. In camp, one of the Corp members was part of the COVID-19 team. He was already benefiting from the system. We met in camp.

I saw laboratory technicians and assistants with meagre salaries driving good cars. These guys were balling. New Alert: the state government did transfers and new staff told me that in his former LGA, they do 50/50 with the hospital management in terms of remitting lab revenue.

The system was so porous that students on posting joined the trend. Students! It was a field party. There was this month that things were so bad that the HOD received a backlash from management. Revenue dropped by about 50% from the previous months.

I was in Microbiology. I was the most senior ranking health worker in Microbiology as the only Scientist. The rest were Technicians. Sometimes, I’ll come to read plates in the morning and cultures was done very late in the evening the previous day and other issues.

People who came to work by 8, abandon work that wasn’t going into their pockets. A lot was going bad. It’s more annoying that they even charge these poor patients more than the government-approved charges. That was how bad the system is.

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I Sha did Anini with the system sha. During my calls (one person runs the lab), sometimes… Very poor people will come to the lab with their dying kids or so, and after the tests, when they try to pay… I know they can’t buy drugs with what is left… I just tell them to go.

I’m talking about a very poor state in NE Nigeria. There are times when old women will be begging you… I just work for them, and put it on my account but mehn… I never got to pay for the freebies though. What I’ll just tell myself is that… It’s their state money.
In the morning, I’ll remit whatever I was able to generate in the night. There was no call allowance. So you’ll do a 7-day stretch. We pleaded for a 10k call allowance, no way. They told us to remit blood bank money, and keep others from those small tests.

The day MD came to the lab and I overheard him talking about how they were dealing with the call revenue, omo… I knew it was just wrong to take that money. It wasn’t easy. I involved my Pastor and some other staff… One told me, that the Bible says, “where you work, you chop.”

It was a hopeless situation. My other colleague will say… “Ifeanyi. Spend this money. It’s your sweat.” I’ll just remit the money. I managed myself with some very good Muslim roomies that encouraged me through the temptation… Omo… Aliyu is a brother…

Sometimes ba… Morality has nothing to do with which religion you’re practising. We redefined Christianity & Islam in that flat. I was the only Christian with 3 Muslims. We eat together. When I’m struggling with my prayer life, you’ll hear, “Ifeanyi. You’re not praying again.”

Are you not going for prayers this evening? You ño go go church? Kastina people. When I came new, they had this notion that Christians drink and womanize. Umar told me one day, “I’ve never seen a Christian committed like you.” E never jam my classmate Noah

That’s by the way. But… I believe this is happening in many places across this country. We sha used to get free drugs from our Corp Member pharmacist when were sick though. That’s corruption too sha. But my point is that… As citizens, we have a lot of things to change down there.

If the government will invest N7M in the hospital to see N2M profit, and we steal N5M, we’ve returned to the government to N5M. They’ll have to borrow. The ones supplying us kits. How will you supply a kit N1950 when the market price is N1,000? The corruption is thick.

It is systematic. We need to do better as a people.

@Letter_to_Jack just posted about his plumber case. There is this pervasive anyhowness and corruption in our country, and many of our citizens want it so. Try to correct it and see what they’ll call your tribe or Religion.

God will help us.

Many times, Buhari is innocent. He’s just not physically strong again to govern the country. When he came, people were scared but as nature will have it… It’s well In addition, this was in a state. The MD knew but doesn’t do anything. The hospital mgt. This was an open scandal.

Leadership still affects people. After that backlash on the HOD, there were disclaimers pasted around… Things reduced but the people devised new ways and continued. Leadership and political will are key. systems are key. Real Justice for the culprit is key. This country needs help.