Of Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Lab Professionals in Unity and the growth of the medical sector in Nigeria

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Often times, when the society through the media criticizes some professionals, some accept and make amends but others don’t. One of those who have turned their backs against criticism in Nigeria are medical Doctors. In their conceited nature, one major kite they have refused to allow to fly in the hospital workspace is the acceptance of other medical professionals becoming Chief medical Directors. Asked why? The response is always that the matter is now “policy” since it was enacted by the late Professor Olikoye Ransom Kuti while he was Minister of Health.

Only medical doctors can head hospitals in Nigeria for now. A professor of nursing or Pharmacy can’t for now. That is obviously not the right thing to do in contemporary medical practice but who will tamper with the system to bring the desired unity?

From investigations, medical doctors are the only professionals who hardly want to accept corrections even when handling red tape realms like the civil service administration in Nigeria which is not their natural tuff. And one may wish to ask why this lingering resistance?

Investigations reveal that, it is so because that is the way some of them are wired from their different medical schools. Those that passed out before 1980 are worse in their conservative thoughts while those who graduated between 1980 and 1990 seem to have been injected with more quality milk of humanity than their predecessors. Those who graduated after 1990 are better placed in the business of give and take and would readily accept the philosophy of reaching at a middle point with other partners in the health sector. That is why the very Britain that colonized us have changed these old fashion thoughts long ago by allowing other medical professionals head their schools. Recently a Nigerian born Professor of Nanoscience ijeoma Uchegbu has been appointed as the 7th President of Wolfson College, a constituent College of the University of Cambridge. This is a trained pharmacist turned researcher yet she has been given the chance even as a woman to head such a prestigious institution. Nobody said it must be a medical doctor because they are the senior partners at the top of the echelon.

It is only a wrong indoctrination from ungodly Professors that would make a General Practitioner (GP) assume he is next to God. But those who were trained by godly Professors will always keep at the back of their minds that God is the final healer. That means if a patient gets better it’s not because of their dexterity, it’s 60 percent the God factor. Sadly because of the acceptance of myriad of questionable contemporary practices which challenges what is known in the Holy books that God created only two sexes and not three or four, a lot of GP’s are now forced to see life from an ungodly position.

Nigerian doctors are some of the best in the world and they can be tempted to be involved in different forms of ungodly transformation of their guinea pig which is human beings such that we now have more than two sexes in the world. Now we have another group that calls itself “transgender” and they practice all forms of ungodliness like what they call Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and transgender (LGBT). For God’s sake how can you tell me you were born to practice lesbianism? Where is approved in the holy books?

Because some of them had wrong indoctrinations from their trainings as GP’s we now have some who worry less about humanity and focus more on dominance and the pecuniary gains of the profession. When they make mistakes and you criticize them, they become less tolerant of their critics especially the gentlemen of the media. They believe they know it all and the media should not try to teach them their jobs. They suffer mostly in the new media when they goof because it’s a wider world out there.

On the contrary this resistance to criticisms occur while a couple of Nigerian Generals have become more tolerant to critics in the conventional and new media. One would expect generals to be more sensitive to criticism but they are mostly ready to change when criticized for doing wrongs.

Some medical Doctors who involve in sharp practices like fixing of stolen body parts from the thief to a new recipient would not want to be told that they are collaborating with criminals. This is because they do not make mistakes. But when the military makes mistakes especially during operations, like what happened in Kaduna recently, they do apologize. The most guilty of medical professionals are those especially who work with non governmental organizations (NGOs). In the 80’s some of them came out of medical school with that unfortunate superiority complex. But from the 90’s, things began to change. We thank God we are beginning to have a new generation of doctors who will accept failure when we tell them they have failed in any aspect meant to save lives. And would be in a hurry to correct it. The medical profession has not crossed into the good government situation yet and we must state it in black and white. This is because it is time we move from the let-my-people-go category to a level of excellence and merit.

It’s time for the GP’s and consultants to leave their high offices and allow others to head the health facilities in a rotational manner if need be. That is the only way we would benefit as a people from the health sector whether at stable times or emergencies. Sticking to their guns all the time is disadvantageous to the very people they claim to want to save with their acquired knowledge.

Of Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Lab Professionals in Unity and the growth of the medical sector in Nigeria