Mayowa’s journey has brought us back to the realization
that it’s a long way home. It’s a case that has shown us time and again that we
have failed. We have failed as a nation. The news that Mayowa died in a South-African
hospital is enough to make us reflect over what our health system has turned
into.
Living with sickle-cell is a nightmare on its
own. This nightmare often leads to depression in a country like Nigeria. In
Nigeria, Most sickle-cell patients’ use over-the-counter analgesics to relieve
their pains during crisis because it’s affordable. Government hospitals are lackadaisical
when it comes to promptness in attending to patients and privately-owned
hospitals are expensive for the average Nigerian. The reason is not
far-fetched, the monthly minimum wage for a working Nigeria is less than $70.
Mayowa’s case was an unfortunate one. A case
that explains an average Nigerian mindset. A mindset of superstitious and erroneous
belief. A mindset that discourages people coming out early to seek for help.
Sick people are kept far away by families and relatives. Illnesses are covered
up until it becomes unmanageable. The secrecy and attitude of Nigerians to issues
concerning health has corroborated the fact that we are still not done with
archaic mentalities.
The health system too is completely gone.
We
have no health infrastructure that can detect the simplest of all ailments. The
few government hospitals that have these facilities are faced with hundreds of
people who are waiting to use the facilities despite the tormenting bureaucracies
they have to follow. Dying patients who are calm enough to withstand all
hurdles placed by those who are employed and paid by government to manage the
facilities are in millions. People are making fortune out of other's predicaments. Humanity is gone and Empathy has been thrown to the dogs.
In the midst of all these, we saw Mayowa, a
lady, who fought sickle-cell gallantly for more than twenty years. Except, you
take a second look, you won’t know she was a sickle-cell patient. She comes
across as someone who enjoys the advantage of a modest family with not-so-much
wealth but enough to take care of their needs. Her sickle-cell was managed perfectly
by her family until Cancer came knocking.
Her woes were compounded by the terrible
state of our healthcare system. For a long time, ovarian cancer was diagnosed
as Ulcer. I have seen and read worse things but hers is a mistake that we shouldn’t
even be making in 2016. How on earth can a hospital diagnosed cancer as ulcer?
So for a very long time, hospitals were billing her family on the premise that
she was suffering from ulcer. By the time it was clear that it wasn’t ulcer but
ovarian cancer, it was too late. The cancer has metastasized.
I can be so sure that while the whole issues
was going on, several people told them to go to churches, mosques and other
places to seek help. They would have been duped by fake miracle pastors and
Imams. Mayowa would have been made to drink different concoctions all in the
name of supernatural healing and just like every mortal who is afraid of death;
she would have obliged and struggled with death to stay alive.
