Musa Simon Reef, Lawal Ibrahim, Sadeeq Aliyu and Ahmad Salkida
4 November 2007
Abuja — Faced with a crumbling public health sector with its concomitant worsening health services, many Nigerians who cannot afford the high medical fees charged by private hospitals now troop to the neighbouring countries of Cameroun, Benin and Niger Republics for medical attention. Investigations carried out by Sunday Trust reveal that thousands of Nigerians with ailments ranging from tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases are fleeing the country to neighbouring countries for medical attention.
Poor Nigerians living in Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe and Borno, among other states, according to investigations by Sunday Trust, now prefer to go to Maradi in Niger, Benbereke in Benin Republic and Kolofata Hospital in Cameroun to find solutions to their ailments.
In Maradi, Medicine Sans Frontiers, (Doctors without borders) (MSF), a Non-Governmental Organisation based in France has been involved in providing medical services to Nigerians fleeing the deplorable health sector of their country to different border states of Northern Nigeria.
A female doctor with MSF, who requested not to be named, reveals that Nigerian patients on admission constitute 20% in the Maradi MSF centre and another 40% as out-patients, especially on malnutrition related cases for children. The official says the MSF which operates in areas of extreme poverty, natural and human disaster areas has been involved in giving food and money to the patients to combat their health problems.
A source tells our reporter that patients coming to the Maradi MSF centre use two border routers. The borders are Dan Issa and Quanni Border in Niger Republic. Those from Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and eastern part of the country, the source adds, come through Jibia/Maradi border and stopped over at Dan Issa boarder which is about 20 kilometres from the main Nigerian Border in Niger Republic from where an ambulance from the MSF Hospital centre is officially sent to transport them to avoid hurdles placed by Custom officials, the police (Gendarmes) and other law enforcement agencies in Niger.
Patients from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, the source continues, are being picked at Quanni, a border town in Niger. Sunday Trust witnessed how a large number of patients were packed into an ambulance to Maradi.
Salamatu Bature, a Nigerian from Maiturmi village in Jigawa state once visited Maradi when she could not manage the health condition of her son, Sa'idu. He was diagnosed of malnutrition and with the help of MSF Bature made it to the Dan Issa Border. At the MSF centre, besides drugs that are given free of charge, money and food, among others are the benefits of patients who come to the centre. Our reporter noticed long queues of mothers holding their babies and presenting their cards to the security operatives who in turn gave them sacks containing plates, bed nets and other materials to be used at the centre.
Mohammed Abba Malam, a staff in neighboring Jibia local government confirms to our reporter that it is daily a routine for people to travel to Maradi centre for medical treatment. A Katsina based nurse, Babangida Isiyaku says, "Look, it is not only the Niger Border which is only few kilometers away from here that our people are ready to go to; they are prepared to go to Niamey or even France if that is what it takes for them to get sound health for their children.
"There is poor health services provided in Nigeria. Even when the Federal Government is spending billons of Naira to construct and renovate hospitals, there are no competent professionals to provide the required services. Go to the rural areas and see how our health sector has collapsed completely and people are dying," Malam said.
Katsina state commissioner of Health, Alhaji Danlami Garba dismisses allegations that Nigerians living in Katsina state cross over to Niger Republic for medical treatment due to the poor health services provided by the state government. Proximity, Garba argues, is the overriding factor.
In the commissioner's words: "People residing in Katsina state receive medical treatment in Niger Republic due to proximity and not the collapse of the health sector in the state,"
Garba explains that the cross border movement in search of medication is not new to the state, as investigations indicate that 40-50 per cent of the patients admitted at the Jibia general hospital are from Niger Republic.
Kolofata is a village in Cameroon and located about 23 kilometers away from the border town of Banki in Borno State. Considering the influx of Nigerian into this village which is famous in treating people with eye diseases, the large number of patients laying on straw mats under trees in the premises of the hospital shows that hospital workers are finding it difficult to cope with the number of patients.
One of the surgeons who gave his name as Omar told our reporter that out of every 10 patients that come to the hospital, seven are cataract patients. According to the surgeon, the Kolofata Hospital operates over 50 patients daily.
"The operation lasts between 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the age and the condition of the patients," Omar explains, adding that the eye section of the hospital was established in 1996. The surgeon confirms that the daily influx of patients, particularly from Nigeria, has greatly overstretched facilities at the hospital.
"Most of our patients are foreigners and we cannot keep them here for long because of limited facilities," Omar says.
Malam Ahmed Idrisa from Jigawa state says he was operated the previous day and is preparing to go back home immediately. Another Nigerian, M. Ali, who is a retired Assistant Superintendent of Prisons in Maiduguri narrates how he had to travel a long distance to Kolofata when the Molai Hospital in Maiduguri and other hospitals in Borno state proved incapable of handling his eye problem.
Some ophthalmologists spoken to in Maiduguri by Sunday Trust allege that many of the complications from Kolofata patients do end up in their clinics for review treatments. The conveyor-method, where patients have to leave immediately after they are treated and receive post-operation services from another hospital, according to Dr. Bala Askira, a consultant ophthalmologist with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), leads to post-operation complications. But Omar is quick to debunk such claim, insisting that the method of discharging patients 48 hours after operation minimises the risk of such complications.
The Borno state Commissioner for Health, Mr. Ayuba Pindar Iza, says he is aware that Nigerians patronise Kolofata for eye and other treatments but adds that, "the Borno state Government has concluded arrangements with the government of Saudi Arabia to provide facilities of international standard so that our people don't have to risk their lives to travel such a long distance for treatments."
Investigations by our reporter reveal that while an eye patient requires only N6000 for a cataract operation at Kolofata Hospital, the same operation costs N20, 000 at UMTH. Hadiza Isa who is in Kolofata with her mother from Mubi, Adamawa state, ASP Ali from Maiduguri and Mrs. Beatrice Ojile from Lagos claim that they were not satisfactorily treated in the several hospitals they visited in Nigeria.
"But with less than N6, 000 and about N4, 000 in feeding and transport fare to Kolofata, I no longer feel the pain and the fear of losing my sight," notes retired Sergeant Shuibu Inuwa who says he will always encourage patients to go to Kolofata for medical treatment. Whether Kolofata Hospital is a leader in treating eye problems or not, each year continues to witness an explosion in the number of patients coming to the medical centre for attention.
Benbereke Hospital in Benin Republic is another medical centre for some Nigerians suffering from Tuberculosis. The hospital was established by Christian missionaries from the United States of America (USA), with the sole purpose of helping the poor overcome their health problems.
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