Oshiomhole: I Would Have Sued Doctors for Wrong Diagnosis of My Wife

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Thursday called for a review of Nigeria’s medical system so that doctors can treat patients only on the aspect they have competence.

Oshiomhole also said wrong diagnoses could be prevented by governments if it provides robust regulation in the healthcare system.

The APC national chairman stated this at the Founders’ Day and launch of endowment fund of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), adding that his late wife, Clara, died of wrong diagnoses.

Oshiomhole, who was the Edo State governor, said he would have sued the doctors if it were in another terrain, because his wife was a victim of quack medical treatment.

According to him, "When you visit a hospital, one doctor is gynecologist, psychologist, pediatrician, and that doctor treats everything. My wife was unfortunate to have been diagnosed as having something different while the cancer in her breast was growing.

“This generalisation of the medical system is what we must review. It is not the task of government that things are not working. People elect the government to make things work. That was why I decided to build what I called ‘Five Star’ hospital to replace the decayed Central Hospital. I do hope that one day that hospital will open and you will see the equipment there.

“One thing we need to do is appropriate compensation. When we have the right policy framework; the other level of compensation and people are paid accordingly, I believe doctors working outside the country will come back.”

Chairman of the occasion and former Nigeria Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), praised late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and late Prof. Tiamiyu Bello-Osagie for ensuring that local people in the state get access to tertiary health services instead of traveling to Lagos or Ibadan.

Gowon expressed joy that the UBTH has served the people well, pointing out that “in terms of training and research, the UBTH has performed excellently well in collaboration with the University of Benin (UNIBEN)."

Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, also commended the UBTH management for conceiving the endowment fund, challenging Nigeria hospitals to aim higher and compete for excellence internationally.

Represented by Dr. Shaibu Belgore, Ehanire noted that the problems in hospitals in the country were not due to lack of equipment or expertise but a challenge of trust.

According to him, “Improvement is urgently needed in all aspect from environmental upgrade to housekeeping; from prompt and polite attention to patients at first point of calls, especially registration.

“It goes simply pumping more and more money into operations. It requires rededicating yourselves to fight wastage, leakage and damage to a better optimisation of resources and assets.”