DonMike Aquila on Stephen Keshi's death

This is a personal thing for me, but i will talk about it. Sometime; not too long ago, i nearly lost one of the most important people in my life. This person was in an airport, was already checked in awaiting boarding and kapoot! The person collapsed. No history of prior illness, cardiac disease or any significant ailment. What happened? The airport staff were pouring cold water on this person for resuscitation. In that Enugu international airport exists a medical clinic or so i think. Did they have facility for resuscitation?  No of course. Do you know that if not by the special grace of god, by now the person involved would have become meat for maggots? Do you know that there are no emergency services in Nigeria?

Today Stephen Keshi had a heart attack and died. He died while on his way to a hospital.

I bet you that if Stephen Keshi had that attack in us, he would be in intensive care right now but not in the morgue. When there is an emergency which number do you call in Nigeria? Usually your pastor, then your spouse before your in-laws. By the time you get to hospital, the person is dead. If he is not dead, the hospital will ask for deposit first before treating, during which period an atrial fibrillation will have been converted to a ventricular tachycardia and then a systole. In the case i mentioned, can you imagine that the airport staff and airline staff in Enugu were busily calling people who were about 400km to 9000km away to come and arrange help for a dying client? Do you know that people have slumped and died in airport toilets in Lagos Nigeria and no resuscitation administered? 

We have no value for life in Nigeria. We live a little or even same level with pigs and dogs. You that is reading this, what can you do about it? In my friends list on Facebook on this account, i have up to 800 doctors as friends. I am certain that 50% of them in Nigeria have never touched an aed device before. I am very certain. How much is an aed? In Onitsha drug market an aed is just about 300,000 naira. Defibrillators are not meant to be brought out during accreditation only.

Defibrillators are not meant for the cmd offices. Have you watched a CPR done in the emergency lobbies? You will have a heart attack.

Dear medical professionals, today it is Keshi. Tomorrow it could be you! It must be mandatory that every ward in a hospital has a defibrillator. Emergency response teams must be available in every ward in every local government area Nigeria. We must have emergency numbers and capable personnel and equipment for immediate response within 3 minutes. We must have comprehensive health insurance available for all.

I am not wailing. I am telling us how it should be.

DonMike Aquila is a Medical Doctor