Dr. Wasiu Adeyemo, Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has called for the establishment of more public hospitals across the states to decongest tertiary health institutions.
Adeyemo made the call in an interview with reporters on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to him, the few existing facilities are insufficient to cater for the teeming population of the country.
He decried the high patient volume and workload at LUTH, stressing that not all health conditions should be managed at tertiary institutions.
Adeyemo criticized the performance of secondary healthcare facilities and Primary Health Centres (PHCs), noting that most of them fail to meet expectations.
He explained that these facilities often refer cases that should be handled at their level to tertiary hospitals.
Adeyemo attributed the overcrowding at tertiary facilities — including lack of bed spaces — to this practice.
“It is not all health cases that are supposed to be handled at the tertiary healthcare level.
“Normally, every health condition should first be treated at either the secondary healthcare level or PHCs as the case may be; then, if need be, it would be referred to the tertiary level.
“Unfortunately, most of these cases are being dumped on us at the tertiary level to handle.
“And the worst aspect is that the majority usually arrive without pre-notification or contact with the hospital to ascertain its preparedness to manage the situation.
“In as much as we are a tertiary health institution, there is a limit to what we can do considering the number of facilities and personnel on ground.
“In a situation where patients on admission are occupying the available beds and facilities, the hospital may not be able to take referred patients who are coming without any notification,” he said.
Adeyemo therefore emphasized the need for secondary and primary health facilities to always notify tertiary hospitals before referring patients.
According to him, this is necessary to guarantee the tertiary hospital’s preparedness to receive the patient and to make arrangements for bed space, even if existing ones are occupied.
Contributing, public health physician Dr. Adebayo Ogba blamed the overcrowding of tertiary facilities on the general Nigerian mentality and belief that the best healthcare services can only be obtained at tertiary institutions.
Ogba added that most patients go directly to tertiary facilities without first presenting at secondary or primary health centres.
He noted that quality healthcare services are possible even at PHCs, explaining that equipping secondary facilities and PHCs with adequate manpower, resources, and equipment is key to decongesting tertiary hospitals.
He emphasized the need for sensitization, education, and reorientation of the populace to change their mindset toward PHCs.
“An old established norm takes time to change. The fact that many Nigerians already believe the best healthcare is only obtainable at tertiary health institutions can be changed with time.
“If the PHCs should be up and running efficiently, with little awareness, education and sensitization campaigns, people’s orientation toward PHCs will change and they will start patronizing them as supposed.
“This will invariably reduce the population and workload on the secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities,” he said.
