This happened on Friday evening:
Yesterday, I suddenly felt the urge to close from work around 4:30pm. I was tired. Very tired. I told my madam to clear my desk so we could go.
Normally, I avoid driving myself and I have two people we work and live at the same place so the car is always full.
But, yesterday,one had gone to the camp and the other wasn't ready to leave. I also didn't want to bother the driver since his place is closer to work than my home.
That makes just two of us left in the car. Myself and madam!
5mins into our journey. There was an accident victim lying almost lifeless on the floor.
The crowd was unimaginable.
I heard some screaming "pour water on him" while some were shouting "hit his chest very hard". There were many others taking pictures and making videos.
My country is sick 😷...!
It didn't occur to any of these people that hospital should be the first bus stop and not hitting his chest.
I screamed for them to clear the road and put him in my car.
They did. I requested that his co-bike riders should follow me.
But I don't even know a single hospital around the place.
The closest I know is the hospital we use at office and that's at least 40mins away.
Such a risk ehn!
Madam said a general hospital is 8mins away from us.
With my hazard lights "double pointers" on, I drove like my entire life depended on it.
My legs were shaking on the turtle and the brake .
We got to the hospital.
A guy came closer to us, he peeped through the window and said to me:"take him away"
I jumped off the car. Dragged him with his shirt. Bros, you are a murderer. This guy is not dead. Should anything happen to him, I'm holding you responsible. I was yelling.
Before you could say jack; the place became crowded.
A doctor came out. Checked the guy still in the car. He said: "we don't have any available stretcher. If there are able men that can carry him in, I'll take a look at him"..
I was lucky his co-bike riders followed me on their bike. They carried him into their "A&E"...
I was asked to pay for gloves to examine him; I paid N350!
Few minutes later, they handed me a N12750 bill for drips and some medications; I gave them!
I sat waiting for those who followed me to call his people.
They did. His people started coming in. Dude was stabilized.
It was already getting dark. I can't drive to save my own life once it's dark. So I called the driver to come and rescue me.
He arrived. I bid the doctor and everyone goodbye.
We got to the gate and the woman at the gate said we can't go out.
Me? Werin I do naa? I queried!
She said shebi na you bring emergency.
I said yes.
She said you either go out with the emergency you brought or bring a letter from the doctor stating that you can go.
Just when I was about responding, her colleague came and said allow her. He was already with the doctor to enquire if I should be allowed. Madam insisted that without a letter, I wasn't going to leave the premises.
Now I was getting angry already.
This is suppose to be a general hospital for God's sake.
You can't be discouraging people from helping accident victims.
But then all I saw was an abuse of designated powers.
We were going to create another scene.
My madam went in to get the doctor.
He came and asked that I should be allowed to go.
But last night was my longest night so far this year.
I couldn't sleep. What sort of a country is ours? What does the life of a Nigerian worth?
First thing this morning, I was back at the hospital.
One of the nurses saw me, smiled and said : "Your boy is fine, he is very stable and has started communicating"..
My joy was unimaginable!
This was the boy they almost rejected had I not created a scene yesterday. The boy they would have killed with their nonsensical attitudes of rejecting patients without any attempt on them.
I stood there at the door, watching and thanking God for sparing his life; then I heard someone asked "who is she" a middle-aged woman answered that I might be one of those who go around praying for sick people. The nurse interrupted them that I was the one who brought him to the hospital.
The middle aged woman knelt to say thank you; she is the mother. The other young lady also knelt with a baby strapped at her back to show appreciation; she is the wife.
For a second , I thought: this is a young woman that would have become a widow, the little child that would have become fatherless and the aged woman that would have lost her child over something that could be avoided.
The little things that killed Nigerians!
Everything is wrong with this country. It takes a whole lot of courage not to abandon this space.