By George OPARA
Abia state government has warned doctors, nurses and other medical personnel in the state-owned hospitals to stop to abandon patients under emergency to fate for lack of money to pay deposits.
You have the professional ethics and mandate to first save the life of a patient brought into your facilities under emergency condition, before demanding for payment.
The caution was given during the ongoing training program organized by the Abia State government for doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory
laboratory technicians and other Abia medical staff in Umuahia, capital of the state.
The programme, which is being used to prepare Patients Liaison Officers, PLOs, for hospitals, also cautioned medical staff in the State against using harsh words against patients and their family members but soft word and close care.
In his address during the training session, the Chief Executive Officer of Quantus Medical Foundation, Dr. Nnenna Ihekoromadu decried the poor patient-personnel relationship in Nigeria.
She said sick persons in the hospital needed respect, soft words and close care to fasten the healing capacity of drugs, pointing out that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, Lab technicians or other staff on duty should be held accountable for good or bad service rendered to their patients.
She noted that it was wrong to abandon a patient under emergency to fate because no money was deposited by the patient’s family.
“So if a patient cannot afford care and they’ve come into an emergency situation, they will have to be treated.
“Stabilize them, treat them before you start asking about payments,” Ihekoromadu said.
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