I Never Believed There are Still Doctors Like this in Nigeria "UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo Restored my Faith and Hope for Motherhood
When I boarded a flight from the United Kingdom to Nigeria, i carried more than a luggage but a fear.
As a support worker and healthcare professional, for some years I had been battling fibroids and hydromyosis a condition that had quietly stolen my peace and a complicated dream of becoming a mother and ultimately forced a decision that would take a thousands of miles from the country i now calls home.
Doctors in the UK had been straightforward with me, the only way to remove the fibroids was to remove my uterus. For a woman still believing, still hoping, still trying for a child, that was not an option I was willing to accept. So i came to Nigeria not just for surgery, but for a chance.
My first stop was at a private hospital and the experience shocked me. The environment was discouraging, my fears were not addressed and the care i received fell short of what a vulnerable patient preparing for her first major surgery needed. I was discharged but my body was not ready. I could not sleep. I was vomiting and was in distress.
I was rushed to another private hospital, the nurses there were warm and attentive. For the first time in what i felt like a very long time, i slept deeply and peacefully. Strong antibiotics were administered to fight infection, and stability slowly returned. It was at this private hospital that a referral was made.
From the moment I arrived at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, something was different. I never believed there were still good doctors in Nigeria, from the Accident and Emergency unit, to the ward, to the theatre every single person treated me with love."
It was not just the clinical competence that moved me the humanity of the Cleaners who paused to pray for me. Nurses whose warmth i felt personal, the Doctors who looked into my eyes made me feel seen not just as a case, but as a reason to get well.
The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Babatunde Afolabi made a particular impression by personally ensured my comfort and wellbeing which goes beyond the administrative to the genuinely pastoral. His presence was reassuring at a time when reassurance was everything.
I thanked Dr. Atanda, Dr. Asafa, Dr. Ajibade, Nurse Oni, Nurse Adebisi and many others whose names I may not have caught, but whose kindness I'll never forget.They treated me like I was in a private hospital and this is a government hospital. I was shocked."
Before my admission at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, I had already made up my mind. I told my husband i wanted to return to the UK that i had lost confidence and tired of fighting unfamiliar ground.
It was my husband who held the line. He told me to trust the process, adding that good doctors exists in Nigeria too. Today, I am grateful he did not let me give up.
As a healthcare worker in the UK, i understands When asked to compare the Nigerian healthcare system with that of Britain,
"Each country has its own policies,"
I came to Nigeria to remove fibroids so that i could start the processing of IVF, that dream is now one step closer, because a team of dedicated professionals at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital refused to treat me as anything less than deserving a Excellent care.
My story is a reminder of what Nigerian public healthcare can be when the right people show up with the right attitude. It is a testimony to every nurse who prayed over a patient, every doctor who stayed a little longer, every attendant who smiled when it mattered.
I found that and much more at UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital.
I AM OLAMIDE MORAKINYO
