Kaduna — Residents of Kaduna State have called on the State government to look into the activities of private hospitals with a view to clamping down on those that are sub-standard.
They lament that many of the cases of death in some private hospitals, are caused by the negligence and nonchalant attitude of some medical and health workers.
They also alleged that some doctors are in the habit of referring patients from public hospitals to their private hospitals for 'selfish interest'.
"Some of the private hospitals lack equipment for handling difficult cases, yet doctors lure patients to patronise them. We have had cases where doctors and health workers abandon their places of primary assignment in public hospitals for their private hospitals or chemists," Rahila Ibrahim, a resident said.
Mrs Zainab Musa, another resident said she lost her first and second babies in one of the private hospitals in Kaduna.
Narrating her ordeal, she said: "Having lost my first baby in the process of delivery, the doctor advised in my file that I should be given special attention next time. When I became pregnant the second time after about four years, the doctor again having known my history noted on my file that a doctor must be on ground on my day of delivery.
“When labour started and I was taken to the hospital, the baby was not forthcoming and I was in severe pain. My husband told one of the nurses attending to me to please invite the doctor but instead of calling the doctor, she became unnecessarily agitated and asked if my husband was insinuating that she was not competent enough to attend to me.
“At the end, I ran out of strength and could not push any longer. It was then that reality dawned on her and she alerted a doctor. Eventually, I lost the baby and it also took God’s help for me to survive.”
Source: Daily Trust