By Zainab Amiru Sanusi
The main goal of any Federal Teaching Hospitals in Nigeria is to provide safe, quality, affordable, adequate, equitable, accessible and comprehensive health services to people, as well as contributing to the development of healthcare professionals. But this is not the case at the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina State.
My experience at the FTH on the 1st of April 2025, brings about many questions on the commitment of this institution in caring for the life it was designed to save.
My son (3 years) was running temperature and could barely walk, but I managed to take him to the Federal Teaching Hospital where we saw a doctor. After the consultation, the doctor asked if I had given him anything prior to which I responded that I had given him anti-malaria drugs and paracetamol, the doctor referred us to the laboratory for further investigations. At the laboratory, my son’s blood sample was taken but that itself was painful to watch as a mother, because they kept missing the vein thereby causing him more pain and discomfort. We were told to return the following day for the results. However, I felt the need to report back to the doctor and ask for advise on what else I could do pending the outcome of the result. The doctor recommended Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) but I raised my concern that my son had vomited everything he had taken so far, including water. The doctor reluctantly stated that I should just complete that anti-malaria drugs and continue with the ORS even if he throws up. He added that there was nothing else he could do without seeing the results of the Full Blood Count (FBC) from the laboratory.
That was how we returned home feeling disturbed as a mother seeing her son severely sick. My sleep was full of worries and my son kept throwing up the whole night.
The next day, after completing the anti-malaria dose, I returned to FTH and headed straight to the National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS) laboratory to collect the results of the FBC tests so that we can proceed to see the doctor. To my greatest shock and disappointment, I met a staff who dismissively told me that the result was not out and that I should follow up at the hematology. I sensed something was not right because I had given them enough time to get the results ready.
Notwithstanding, I went straight to the hematology, It was at the hematology that I got the shock of my life, I was told the test was not done! I was dumbfounded, sad and speechless. I asked for an explanation after detailing to the staff that indeed, my son’s blood sample was taken and that I was assured the results would be ready in 24 hours. The only response the staff could provide was “Hajiya bamu da Kayan aiki“ (Hajiya, we are short of working tools.) I could not make sense of what he told me, then I asked again where is the blood sample of my son? He responded by saying that they had not been collecting blood samples because they were not carrying out those investigations and that they probably sent them back! I asked him why would you take blood samples for which you cannot run the test? To this, I was met with a deadpan stare! After some excruciating minutes of waiting for I don’t even know what, I asked him what I should do now.
He suggested I go outside the hospital and conduct the test if I truly needed it. “Allah ya bama Mara lafiyan lafiya” he concluded.
I left the hematology feeling disappointed and distressed at the hospital of that calibre, that pride itself with knowing exactly how to cater to the needs of its patients was displaying the highest form of incompetence and neglect with no one taking responsibility or showing any form of empathy. In fact, it can be said they are being deceitful, if not, why would samples be taken, knowing surely that the tests would not be done?
I dragged my feet to the NHIS lab to demand for the blood samples of my son and to my greatest shock (yet again), I was told it could not be found. At that instance I could feel the rage building up and I asked how that was possible. Yet again I was met with a deadpan stare!!! The lab attendant finally stated that it wasn’t their fault and that if they had the right working tools, they would have done that. His responses beg the question WHOSE FAULT IS IT??? Why is it that a reputable hospital such as the FTH Katsina doesn’t have the materials to conduct a test like “FBC???”
I reached out to some of the staff of the hospital who offered to speak on condition of anonymity. I was reliably informed that the major reason why I could not get my results was due to the absence of reagents which is the main substance used in conducting tests. They also stated that in cases, where the reagents where available, the management had to sign for them to be released to the laboratory. In a nutshell, the bureaucratic policy of the hospital is what is causing many patients like me and my son not to get the blood samples taken analysed. The patient is either left in the dark or made to seek for other alternatives.
The words of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), on the hospital’s website reads “We equally dedicate our resources to support our healthcare workforce in their daily tasks, helping them reach their fullest potential, thereby developing and maintaining service excellence at the highest level. We believe that, by ensuring better healthcare services for the present and future generations, we contribute to building a brighter world together. We look forward to your continued support and patronage.”
Sadly, my experience and that of many other helpless patients out there, some of who reached out to me with their own experiences is in direct contradiction to his words. There is no sign that the hospital is concerned about the poor state of affairs at its laboratory if not, there is no justification why there would be repeated issue of absence of common reagents to run tests effectively. The bureaucratic process of receiving these items also needs to be looked into if indeed the hospital wants to live up to its potential as the best place to access affordable healthcare in the state. For now though, the state of the laboratory is an accident waiting to happen.!
Therefore, I call on the federal government, the state government, Chairman Nation Health Insurance Scheme Katsina(NHIS) and the appropriate authority of the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina to pay serious attention and take necessary action to address the present condition of the hospital from collapsing by providing adequate assistance, medical facilities and trained medical personnel in order to minimise the rate of casualty and health complication in the state.
