HEALTH

Health centre or death centre? Tale of rigors

'This hasn’t changed, I said to myself when I remembered several instances in the past when I had to leave the clinic angrily and decided to self-medicate after having waited too long to see a doctor.'

‘I got there a few minutes past 8 in the evening. When I registered and the officer in charge of cards ruled the line after my name, I was elated. It’s my lucky day, I thought and smiled. At least I won’t have to wait for another set before they bring my card. I sat down quietly and managed to focus my gaze on the premier league match they were showing on the television in the waiting room. After a couple of minutes, the football match did not appeal to me again. The fever gripped me, my head started pounding hard, and I shivered from within as if I was being electrocuted. Yet, no one came to address us or give us any reason why we were being stranded. When it was around 8:35, I looked at the person beside me and asked him if they were going to attend to us at all. His reply was weak, yet swift. He told me he had been around for about an hour. Maybe it wasn’t my lucky day after all! He looked really messed up, and from the way he answered me, I almost felt more pity for him than I did for myself. It was as if he was speaking with the last strength in his body. This hasn’t changed, I said to myself when I remembered several instances in the past when I had to leave the clinic angrily and decided to self-medicate after having waited too long to see a doctor.

When it was around 8:50, our cards were ready and we took turns to see the doctor. It was then we realized that we were stranded because only one doctor was on duty. I, being the last person on the queue, was hoping that no emergency case should come up until they attend to me. If any emergency case should come up, it was the same doctor who was attending to us that would attend to the case. In that instance, he would have no choice than to leave us and go for the case. Well, in the end, I was able to see the doctor and I was given free drugs which I used and got better afterwards. Thank God I am hale now.’

Just one doctor on duty!

Just one doctor on duty! The best we can get indeed! Having listened to this terrible experience carefully, I really can’t stop asking myself why sick patients should be left helplessly by themselves for so long in an academic environment. Why should they have just a single doctor attending to patients during the period students find most conducive to visit the clinic? Is it because they can’t afford to employ an extra doctor for the work? If students prefer to self-medicate in order to avoid the very unappealing environment in Jaja, is it still appropriate for the management to adhere to Jaja medical report as the only excuse for not attending classes? If I present a medical report from a registered hospital elsewhere, what difference does it make?

The sad truth is that as our education system is failing, so also is our health system, and perhaps everything pertaining to this country, especially in this period of economic recession. Last semester, some students were disallowed from writing an examination because they were unable to make 75% attendance despite the fact that a lot of them managed to present a medical report from the University Health Centre. Some of these students lamented that they should have gone to the clinic a lot more than they did but they decided to self-medicate sometimes they feel the dreaded rigors of Jaja is too much for them to bare. Some even confessed that they go there just because the drugs are free.

Besides these, a notable case was that of a guy who was terribly sick for most of last semester and was treated in a private hospital. Yet, he was able to make 50% attendance. Upon this, he managed to present a stamped medical report from the hospital despite the tight examination schedule. At the entrance to the examination hall, the report was rubbished and was thrown away. Whereas, someone who was hale and hearty throughout the semester and couldn’t present any medical report, someone who even had a less attendance score was granted entrance into the examination. Where is the justice in that! What is good for the goose is good for the gander, won’t you say?

The terrible experience at Jaja still continues unabated, and as far as the school management is concerned, Jaja is the only clinic in the world, and students do not have the power to prevent themselves from falling sick. These conditions have left many of us between the devil and the deep blue sea. Perhaps, someday, the story will be different.