Inside the Gynae B ward of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), a reserved section for the low- and middle-class women with all manner of reproductive system cancer, was filled to capacity with patients. While some were newly admitted, some have been on bed for close to three to five months with no significant signs of improvement.
Reflecting high cost of treatment, some, already well and discharged were held down till they are able to settle their medical bills.
With noxious smells wafting through the ward, the whimpering and bawling for early death by the patient, this reporter struggled to hold herself to initiate a discussion with some of the patients, even without a nose cover. Among them was Mrs Gbade (not real name), now deceased, whose ailment was at advanced stage of cervical cancer.
Writhing in pains she struggled to speak to THIDSAY; “I want to die” she cried out severally. As much as she was willing to bare her plight, her strength had failed her. Her husband, who eventually spoke on her behalf, said: “It all started early 2018 with bleeding that is different from her normal menstruation. I took her to Ikorodu General Hospital where after running all tests, it was detected that she had cervical cancer and was referred to LASUTH for proper treatment. But she refused to believe the report, saying, ‘I reject it in Jesus name.
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“She refused to go for treatment not until this year that the symptoms became severe. She eventually agreed to visit LASUTH where she ran advanced tests, after which they commenced treatment on her,” Mr Gbade recalled explaining that he has been on and off duty since his wife has been on admission, while his only daughter has stayed away from school just to take care of her mother.
Asides his monthly salary and bank’s savings, he said he has been approaching friends, families, colleagues and micro finance banks to raise over N500,000 for diagnosis and treatment which seemed not to have yielded positive result.
The money he said, also includes N7,500 for meals and bed space paid daily for more than one month. This they did daily before the wife finally died.
Mr Gbade is not pleased with the circumstances leading to his wife’s death despite the amount already spent. He blamed the doctors for not giving her the required treatment.
” I believe the doctors here were responsible for her early demise because two weeks ago, they called to tell me that she was okay and has been discharged but I refused that she should be discharged because all wasn’t well with her. Here is someone declared okay and fit, but could not walk from her bed to the entrance of the ward, still bleeding and yet could not eat. I made sure I bought and did all they asked me to do to avoid excuses. The doctors abandoned her because they said she was at advanced stage.”
Another patient, 55 years old Mrs. Sola, (again not real name) a widow, and nanny is crying for financial support from government and well to do Nigerians to save her life from stage one cervical cancer.
“It all started last year with bleeding,
