By Ovundah Nyeche.
I have been here so many times…
A patient shows up…
Very bad…
Very bad…
Okay when a physician says a patient is bad… It is not a good thing… It is bad…
You struggle through the night…
In the morning the patient is better than he was… But not yet good to go home…
Then the normal routine…
In the morning… The man’s relatives will show up…
They don’t know what you battled or went through at night… They don’t know where this is leading to…
We want to take him to a private hospital… Your gut tells you “owashi”… Na lie…this hospital does not refer to private hospitals…
This is looking like a going to a “prayer house case”…or going to fortify against “village forces” case…
You know how it will end…
You look at the next of kin on the folder…
Hallelujah it is the wife’s name written…
You call her aside…
Explain to her everything you know in medicine… Madam plsssssssssss I am on my knees, don’t allow your husband leave here…but, your plea is not working…
You go via another route, madam, I don’t want you to lose your husband please don’t allow them take him out of the hospital…
But you look at her face… It is obvious…she is clueless, helpless…and the one without the dough and the voice…
I can’t help it Doc… They want him out… I don’t have money of my own…
In these parts many times shishilessness may be synonymous with failure to make the right decision…
You shift to the brothers and sisters with the dough and explain everything you can explain to them…Your brother cannot leave you insist…
But they insist he must go…
You talk to the ill man… But he is not in the position to make a decision… He trusts the decision of his siblings…
The nurse on duty adds her mouth.. For where… They are becoming agitated and confrontational…
We must go… And there is nothing you can do about it Doc…
You explain to them for the last time the consequence of leaving and signing a form they are about to sign…
For where…
They sign in the ? folder and sign in the “sign against medical advise form”…to rub it on your face..
As the man takes a walk with his family, you know is likely going to be his last…
Few days later…
You get a call… And you are told the man is has taken a walk to eternity..
And the brothers say he died due to malaria and typhoid…Assistant doctors indeed… Innocent malaria and typhoid..
You shake your head…
And shake it again…
In other news,
When you empower your wife you empower yourself…
When you treat your wife like a rag and allow your siblings to do the same… You are actually the rag…
You are blessed if your wife had the ability to make decisions in your favour…
When your wife has no say in your matters… It will matter when you have no strength to have a say…
Your life may depend on it…
Again what do I know?
DISCLAIMER
No animal was killed in the making of this movie…
Like Manchester United winning the Champions League this season, this is purely a work of fiction.
