FMC Viral Video: NMA Chairman Urges More Empathy For Patients, Exonerates Doctor, Other Staff

A disturbing video that surfaced earlier this month, showing victims of a road accident allegedly left unattended by hospital personnel at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Abuja, has sparked widespread criticism from Nigerians.

The video, which was widely circulated on social media, captured a Good Samaritan bringing in the accident victims, only to be met with what appears to be a lack of immediate medical attention.

In the footage, the Good Samaritan is heard alleging that the hospital staff refused to provide timely medical care to the victims. He is also heard exchanging words with the staff on duty, with one staff member reportedly citing a lack of gloves as a reason for not attending to the patients. However, the video later shows some staff members assisting one of the severely injured victims into the emergency ward, while other victims managed to make their way in unaided.

The incident has sparked outrage among Nigerians, with many recalling their own experiences in public hospitals and expressing concern over the quality of care provided by medical personnel in the country.

Discussing her experience at Kubwa General Hospital years back, an Abuja resident, Rosemary Ugwu told THE WHISTLER how she was frustrated after waiting for a long hour to see a doctor regarding her ailment.

“I was having some issues and went to see a gynaecologist at Kubwa General Hospital. I waited for a long time because there was a long queue. When it finally got to my turn to see the doctor, I really didn’t like the way the doctor was asking me questions about my case,” she narrated.

“I was menstruating for more than ten days which was not normal and the male doctor was asking questions I felt was not right,” she explained further.

According to her, the doctor finally said he will prescribe a drug for her, but normally in Kubwa General Hospital, the doctors will just input the recommended drugs in the patient’s record and ask him/ her to head to the pharmacists to buy the drugs.

Ugwu claimed she begged the doctor to write out the prescribed medication instead of sending her to the pharmacy, citing financial constraints. She wanted to buy the prescribed drugs at a nearby pharmacy after sourcing funds, but the doctor refused, questioning how she would even come to the hospital without money.

“I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist on duty checked my name and said the doctor did not recommend any drugs. I went back to the doctor who instead of attending to me, told me he was tired and needed to go for lunch.

“I left the hospital very sad and downcast, having spent the whole day in a hospital without getting a solution. I had to go to a pharmacy in my area where drugs were recommended and that helped to stop it,” she narrated.

Apart from Ugwu’s experience, there have been many other reported ugly experiences.

In the FMC Hospital, where the earlier incident was reported, there have also been other allegations of medical negligence.

It was reported in 2016 that at least three cases had been linked to suspected negligence at the facility.

Also, there was a reported case of a death of a 29-year-old Sandra David in 2016, following complications from a gallbladder surgery at the FMC Abuja, which eventually prompted an investigation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

The question on the lips of many is why are there such cases of alleged negligence and lack of empathy in public hospitals?

In an interview with THE WHISTLER Dr. Emeka Ayogu, Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, FCT chapter, emphasised that the recent FMC incident should serve as a call to action for patients’ relatives, healthcare workers, and hospital management to collaborate for the well-being of patients.

While acknowledging that the viral video may have been sensationalized, Ayogu stressed that it highlights the need for reflection and improvement in healthcare delivery. He strongly condemned the harassment of medical staff, emphasizing that they deserve respect and dignity.

Ayogu pointed out that the Good Samaritan in the FMC viral video exhibited a lack of empathy by refusing to help bring the patient out of the vehicle, suggesting that he would have acted differently if it were his own family member.

He added that it was mere playing to the gallery and that it is possible he has some issues against the hospital. He also noted that healthcare workers operate under challenging conditions and are frequently demotivated and, therefore, deserve respect for their efforts to care for patients.

According to the NMA Chairman, the doctor involved in the incident, may have acted impulsively due to stress (probably from busy night calls and burnout syndrome) and harassment, which impaired her ability to think clearly. He further emphasized that healthcare workers should prioritize their wellbeing and safety while delivering quality care.

“Eventually, there were some lapses, one or two lapses, the doctor was confused. She was not allowed to organise her thoughts on the best thing to do. He was not meant to work alone, but apparently at the point she was meant to mobilize support to assist, of course, medical personnel have to protect themselves while trying to save other lives.

“But when she was trying to do all that, harassment was too much, abuse was too much. And she lost control. There was evidence of her being dislodged and appear not to be very focused on what she was doing,” Ayogu explained.

The chairman called on Nigerians to respect the role of doctors in saving lives and urged relatives who bring patients to hospitals to be courteous and respectful to medical personnel. He stressed that abuse and insults should not be tolerated and that everyone has a role to play in improving healthcare services.

“At this point, I urge relatives who bring their patients to always be courteous, and respect the doctor who has an obligation to assist them, they should act with decorum, and should not abuse nor insult the doctors,” he urged.

Regarding the provision of gloves, Ayogu emphasized that hospitals should ensure they have all necessary resources, including manpower and materials, to deliver quality care. He suggested that lapses may have occurred due to issues at the unit level rather than management failures, noting that the hospital’s transformative leadership under Prof. Sa’ad should have ensured the availability of basic resources like gloves, which is the one of the cheapest disposable items used in the hospital

“I also think that the little lapses in terms of what’s available and what’s unavailable, the truth is not really clear anyways, but I charge the hospital to also make sure that a provision for everything should be there. Manpower, material resources, all the things the doctor needs to work with should be available.

“Lapses may occur, they might not be due to management failures, but rather issues at the unit level,” he said.

He noted that his happiness is anchored on the fact that despite all the initial challenges the patient eventually got adequate attention, taken to the theatre, the scalp laceration sutured within 30 minutes, and the patient even left the hospital within six hours unnoticed and without making any payment.

Ayogu concluded by urging doctors to remain focused, empathetic, and professional in the face of provocations. He emphasized the importance of collective effort by calling for help in improving healthcare services and doing the right thing at the right time.

He also charged the hospital management to set up a panel to investigate the incident, identify the causes, and implement corrective measures to prevent future occurrences.

Additionaly, he appealed to the management to focus on taking measures that will serve as a lesson to all, rather than punishing doctors who have been subjected to insults, abuse, and mental distress.

FMC Viral Video: NMA Chairman Urges More Empathy For Patients, Exonerates Doctor, Other Staff is first published on The Whistler Newspaper