THE COST OF GETTING SICK (2)

-

The Referral Racket: Sending You to Their Own Clinics

One of the most disturbing forms of corruption in Nigeria's teaching hospitals involves consultants employed by government hospitals. These consultants, using government equipment and training funded by taxpayers, direct suffering patients to their private clinics just down the road.

Both the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the Nigerian Medical Association have stated that the practice of diverting patients to private clinics by doctors who are government employees is unethical. Despite this, it is widespread and largely goes unpunished.
In May 2024, the Anambra State Ministry of Health suspended the salaries of a medical doctor and two nurses who were caught directing patients from General Hospital, Ekwulobia, to private hospitals. This case received media attention, but thousands of similar incidents occur each week without notice.
Medical personnel often abandon their official duties to treat patients at their private hospitals or at other institutions where they have contracted work, neglecting their primary responsibilities. Some act as consultants at multiple hospitals, spending minimal time at each, which compromises the quality of care. They justify this behavior by citing low government salaries. The true victim in this situation is the patient, who arrives at a public institution only to be redirected to a for-profit business they cannot afford.
The law is explicit. The MDCN's Deputy Registrar has clarified that the Code of Medical Ethics allows qualified consultants with ten or more years of experience to operate a private clinic for consultations only, any procedures or treatments must not take place there. However, this boundary is routinely violated across the country.
The referral racket is not a problem unique to Nigeria. It reflects the consequences of underfunded public institutions and the desperation of those who work within them to survive. Tragically, the very people who are most affected by this informal economy are the ones these institutions were created to help. Unless the structural violence caused by underfunding is acknowledged alongside the interpersonal violence of extortion, the racket will persist. Consequently, families will continue to arrive at teaching hospitals with hope, only to leave with nothing but a longer list of receipts they should never have had to pay.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE SOURCE OF JOY

-
Image
Joy is a presence that remains steady even when nothing around you feels steady. Happiness depends on what happens; joy depends on Who you’re anchored in. When David wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11), he wasn’t describing a passing feeling. He was pointing us to a Person.  Joy Comes From Alignment, Not Achievement Sometimes we believe joy is a reward for reaching a certain level of success or spiritual maturity. But joy isn’t found at the finish line. It’s found in alignment- when your heart, your steps, and your purpose lean into God’s will. You can have a long to-do list and still experience joy. You can be in a season of pruning and still walk in joy. You can be waiting, trusting, hoping, and still carry joy. Why? Because joy is produced when your soul knows you are held. Joy Thrives Where Gratitude Lives Joy and gratitude are siblings. They flourish together. Gratitude keeps your eyes on what God is doing, not what seems delayed. It re-teaches...
Read more

WHAT'S TRENDING?

-
Image
We are witnessing a season where old posts are resurfacing, and careers are shaking. Appointments are being reconsidered. Partnerships are being withdrawn. Public trust is being questioned. What changed? Time. Maturity changed. Context changed. Standards changed. But the digital footprint remained. The words you released into cyberspace were seeds. And seeds, whether good or bad, eventually grow. Some grow into influence. Others grow into consequences. A common defense is: “That post does not reflect who I truly am.” Fair enough. People grow. People evolve. We all have chapters we would rather not re-read. But if someone consistently posts degrading humor, insensitive commentary, reckless opinions, or harmful narratives over time, can it truly be dismissed as acting? At what point does repeated behavior become identity? Character is not what you claim in interviews. Character is the pattern of what you repeatedly practice. You cannot consistently publish darkness and expect peop...
Read more

WAITING WARS

-
Image
After watching the movie "Waiting Wars" by Gloria Bamiloye, you find tthat there is the faith that makes noise and there is the faith that remains when the noise fades. The kind that survives unanswered questions. The kind that keeps showing up long after the excitement has worn off. The kind that does not collapse when feelings fluctuate. Because if we are honest, starting is not the hardest part of the journey. Sustaining is. Anyone can believe boldly when doors are opening. Anyone can testify when prayers are answered quickly. But what about when obedience stretches longer than expected? When clarity doesn’t come on schedule? When growth feels invisible? That is where lasting faith is formed.  Hebrews 11 speaks of those who endured, who ran their race with perseverance, who were described as steadfast, immovable, always abounding. That kind of faith is not manufactured in a moment. It is cultivated in ordinary days, in repetition, in surrender. Lasting faith is not built o...
Read more