Adedoyin Oguntade and David Ogunlade
The Óbafemi Awolowo University (OAU) health Centre, a medical facility established to provide solutions for immediate and non-life threatening health challenges to both staff and students has over time become a shadow of itself. The quality of service, patient-medical personnel relationship, poor attitudinal culture of staff calls for concern. A place where high quality of care is expected has become a place where students grumble to attend as a last option,
Litany of woes
The challenges of the facility oils not start today. One will recall how students took to the street to express their grief following the death of Adesina Mary, a final year student of the Department of Foreign Language on the 1st of October, 2021, following alleged negligence of the health centre staff. Adesina Mary’s woes started as she became indisposed and was taken to the health Centre for proper treatment.
Delayed process of right attention led to this young lady’s untimely death. This did not go well with the students; community members and ultimately this led to a massive protest by students who blocked the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Hairat Balogun, a student from the Department of English Education, explained that she can ‘never forget’ what she experienced at the health centre on December 25, 2023. She stated that she was not feeling so well on that particular day so she had to go to the health center. The attitude of the first contact person will leave a sour taste in the memory of any sane person. The man in charge did not reply to the greeting.
After explaining she was here the see the doctor, the man said “I am not sure the doctor will be available to see you but you can knock on his door”” Right at the doctor’s door, that was after knocking, the doctor said “What are you doing here, the man at the front desk should have brought you in, without due process I will not attend to you”.
This back and forth took about 40 minutes before the doctor accepted to attend to her. That was after she was compelled to go and buy hand glove the doctor would use in examining her.
Benedict Omotola, a nursing student, took to this X (formerly Twitter) account to narrate the ‘devastating’ experience he had at the school health centre. He said, ‘At 9:50 pm on that day, I visited the centre to complain of headache and cough hoping to get attended to swiftly so I could get back to my studies’.
Obafemi Awolow University Health Centre, Patients waiting room(Photo credit: David Ogunlade)
He explained that he was the only patient then and there were two staff on duty. After writing his name on the list of patients to be attended to, he waited for some minutes before one of the male attendants told him ‘come back tomorrow to see the doctor’.
The second attendant, a female, managed to ask “why are you here? And after explaining himself, she said his case was not an emergency, that the doctor would only attend to emergencies only.
Benedict told the attendants that he was not going to leave until he saw the doctor. As this was ongoing, 3 other patients came around. Eventually, the female attendant brought out his file and said, ‘Who goes to a general hospital at night to complain of cough and headache’. After about 10 minutes, Benedict went to the A&E and he later found out that the doctor was not busy and eventually, he got attended to.
Ogunlana Success said, “Why should just a single doctor be attending to a large number of patients?” The number of hours wasted in a bid to see a doctor is worrisome, Success shared his last experience at the health centre. He stated that he got to the health Centre around 3:00 pm. He said, ‘I did not leave until around 10:00 pm just because I wanted to check my eye’. Success stated that he was called in alongside others to see the doctor around 6:00 pm.
He said, ‘The doctor attended to 2 people and all of a sudden, he stopped and started conversing with his colleagues. We were just hearing laughter’. After about 30 minutes, the files were brought out and names were called randomly. Blood pressures checked and all of a sudden, the doctor began to attend to people quickly.
Testimony, a law student, shared a near death experience her friend suffered. According to her, we were on our way to class and suddenly her friend started gasping for breath and collapsed. Her friend was rushed to the health centre only to be told she could not be attended to because she had not completed her Health centre registration.
It took the intervention of others for her to get treatment. Phebean Akintola, a 500-level Law student recounts her experience at the health centre, she stated that she had to wait for 3 hours before she was attended to. She recounts a bitter experience of how her was not attended to on time among other humiliating experiences. There are many more woes of students’ experience in seeking medical attention. We spoke to about five to ten other students, but for space, we would like to stop here.
Health Center’s MD reacts
Probed to speak on the issue, the Medical Director of the health centre, Dr Tirimisiyu Olatunji, stated that the Public Relations Officer of the university is in the best position to respond. He is to speak only when asked. After our persistence he stated that by his own standard there has been a mutual relationship with students.
‘The Students’ Union is part of the health centre management’. He explained that the Welfare Director, Folakan Paul of the Students’ Union is always keeping in touch with him. He referred to the welfare director as the Liaison Officer between the students and the health centre management.
Dr. Tirimisiyu stated that one major issue is the lack of enough human resources. In the past, before 2020, the centre had at least 18/19 doctors and 5o nurses. Today the centre has only 8 doctors and less than 20 nurses at large. The “JAPA” syndrome has affected medical professionals more across the country. Despite this shortfall, our staff continue to work round the clock and this sometimes at the detriment of their own health. So we can only appeal for understanding.
Dr. Tirimisiyu informed the team to speak to the student’ Welfare Director for more information. The Welfare Director, Folakan Paul refused to speak to our team because we identified as campus Journalists.
The Dean, Division of Student Affairs Explains
The Dean of the Division of Student Affairs, Professor John Odedire, in an interview with the correspondents explained that the health centre operates as a secondary health provider. They run clinics apart from receiving normal complaints from students.
On the issue of old people being given priority at the health centre, he explained that those old people ‘are retirees of the university’. The health centre runs specialized clinics for some kinds of illnesses. Some days are always set aside for these diseases, but that does not mean that average patients should not being attended to.
Professor Odedire insisted, ‘What I have seen about students’ population in the school is that they love to make noise a lot’. They often want to get to the health centre and get attended to in under 5 minutes. This is especially common with students who had not completed their health centre registrations. Without proper record it is unsafe to administer treatment
The Dean admitted the fact that the health centre is short-staffed. He said, ‘More than 60% of the medical healthcare givers have relocated.” This is taking a toll on the members of the staff who are trying to hold the fort. Unfortunately, the issue of employment is not something that can be done spontaneously. It has to be authorized at the Federal Capital This is also affecting other areas of the university. ‘For employment to take place, you must get approval and permission from appropriate quarters’, he said.
Professor Odedire stated that to cushion the effects of the tension in the health centre, Corpers who are in the health line are being encouraged to assist at the health centre. He said, ‘You must also be cautious. Approach matters’. He stated that sometimes students see everything as their right.
On the issue of the availability of drugs at the campus pharmacy, the Dean stated that the health centre has been trying its best. Everything depends on money. The availability of drugs is based on how much the university can spend based on the money available. He stated that although students collect their drugs for free, they are being paid for. He explained that sometimes, the health centre management, after running out of drugs, may not be able to mobilize the pharmaceutical supplier on time.
The university gives more attention to students. The members of staff always have to contribute 10% of the value of the drugs monthly. Whereas for students, the medications come for free. He stated that sometimes students collect drugs that they would not use.
He also referred to the 8-month strike as something that affected all aspects of the university, including the health centre. He concluded by saying that “things are already getting better now.”
The Big Question?
How long is too long? Can we continue to wait until another disaster happens? We call on stakeholders within and outside the university community, and especially university alumni to help so we do not continue to toil with lives of the next generation
*Adedoyin Oguntade and David Ogunlade are members of Association of Campus Journalists, Obafemi Awolowo university
