It’s over a year so I think it’s the right time to share this story .

In 2019, I had a serious stomach ache. Very severe. At the lower right side of my abdomen.

It was so severe to the extent that I couldn’t wait until the next day to visit the hospital.

So I decided to call on friends who lived in my neighborhood. The first person I called was Salam Mustapha but his line was off so I called Jamaludeen A. Abdullah and said: “ Jamal, I need you to take me to the hospital, I'm dying."

This was around 12:30 am. Then he advised me to stay home while he came to my aid but I couldn’t wait; the pain was so severe.

It was like I was struggling to live, so I gathered courage and drove from my house to meet him at his junction. What happened on the road to the hospital is another story. ( Yeah, I am that stubborn and brave). 

Fast forward, I was taken to Nyaho Clinic. Several scans were run on me with samples taken.

I kept tossing and sobbing on my pillow with the thought that I might not make it to the next day. But as the personal assistant to the Almighty God (Yep ... am God’s P.A and will have a say on those who will enter heaven so better be nice to me now ); I witnessed daybreak with family and friends all around.

The doctor came with his report and said “ Mr. Atick Yakubu, we will have to operate on you. You have acute appendicitis".

I asked, “operate on who? Me? No.. No, I am going home."

Then he said “If we don’t operate on you today, it might burst and that will also have its consequences."

Although I wasn’t thinking straight, I used my smartphone to help me read on appendicitis on google and came to the realization that, the surgery was the only choice.

So the doctor at Nyaho gave us a note to be sent to the 37 Military Hospital which read "urgent blah blah...

You know how the doctors write, right? (/&:)):!&:!)!:!$:!’sksnbssnjs snsbbsdnmaffa (TREAT AS URGENT ).

We got to 37 early in the morning, somewhere around 7 a.m. It was a weekday and surprisingly, there was no traffic in town. Guess God cleared the road for his P.A. 

When we got there, we were not even given a chair to sit on although I was sobbing in pain.

The nurses took the note though, read it, and acted unconcerned like it was my fingernails that I was complaining of.

I saw one of my friends walking over to their table to question them. I heard him say “he’s in pain please at least give him a bed to lie on" and the reply was “WE HAVE NO BEDS HERE" with that “unlooking" pose.

I looked at her with anger but what can a dying man do?

Yes, the 37 Military Hospital didn’t have beds. So the dying man had to lean against the wall as his friends and fiancée went about trying to get the doctor to grant me an audience.

Finally, I got called in. The doctor looked at my documents, did some basic examinations, and said “WELL ... WE HAVE A VERY LONG QUEUE FOR SURGERY TODAY SO THOUGH YOU ARE IN PAINS AND IT'S URGENT YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND THE BEST WE CAN DO FOR YOU IS TO GET YOU SOME DRUGS TO EASE THE PAINS AS YOU WAIT."

We left the consulting room and stood outside deliberately on what to do next.

We went in again to see the doctor and he said “IF YOU GUYS WANT TO GET THIS DONE EARLY, I WILL CHARGE HIM 2000 cedis to facilitate the process. Yep ... 2000 cedis. Mind you, it was not the charge for the surgery nor drugs.

It was totally unrelated to the surgery. It was a bribe of 2000 he was requesting from me.

Pay 2000 bribe and get the surgery done, simple.

Looking at the pain I was going through and the fear of losing my life; I took my ATM card out and gave it to a friend to withdraw some money for me to pay for the bribe.

 As this was happening, I was leaning on the wall with my fiancée facing me and the junior doctor who examined my stomach was standing a few feet away had his eyes fixated on my woman’s backside.

Although I was looking right in his face to catch his eyes so he will know I know what he’s doing, he appeared so focused that he didn’t see me watching him.

Then I said to my fiancee “do you know that guy there is watching your ass?" whilst pointing to the junior doctor.

It was at that moment he noticed I had caught him.  

Now let’s go back to my pain - the moment the doctor received the money; the hospital that said it didn’t have beds got a bed for me immediately.

Ooo yeah....A bed was manufactured immediately. I was pushed into a closet, undressed and within 5 mins, I was being sent to the surgical theater.

Yes ... all of a sudden I couldn’t see the long queue they spoke about.  

I had a successful surgery after paying a bribe to facilitate it quickly.

 That’s how messed up our health system is.

It’s not only about lack of facilities and equipment but the professionals with good hearts and a sense of professionalism are what we lack the most.

Let me wrap my story up with what happened in the evening.

After my family and friends had left ; I was placed in the general ward, but I couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t even move so if I will pee a nurse had to bring a white container, hold my manhood into it so I pee. That was how helpless I was.

Around 12 a.m, I felt like peeing so I called a nurse to help me out.

But she acted like she hasn’t heard me though looking at me. I called another and pleaded with her “please can you help me pee and she said “I am coming".

She, however, went to sit at her desk and for like 15 minutes she ignored me till I called a 3rd nurse who came over with the bottle like container.

Tears started flowing down my cheeks as I watched the nurse who ignored me. I felt really sad. (Nipa ns3 hwee ampa ) .

My stay at 37 taught me a lot.

First, it humbled me. I toned down but most importantly I witnessed the rots in our health sector.

You have to buy your own life because it is for sale.

Yes, we can blame the politicians for poor infrastructure and equipment at the hospitals but who do you blame for unprofessional acts by health workers?

We have a long journey to go as a nation .

A very long and tough one.

It will be tougher than “Journey to the West “ but unfortunately for us; we won’t have “Shifu" to lead us.