Residents of Bauchi State diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases do not only spend thousands of naira to mitigate its hazards, but the tiring process of interfacing with medical doctors also is worrisome.
In this report, some of the patients shared their predicaments with WikkiTimes. Idris Alhassan, a 67-year-old resident of Nasarawan Jahun In Bauchi metropolis, was initially hypertensive before the cardiovascular disease dotted his heart. “And it is over three years now.”
Ten days back, Alhasan was bedridden at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi. He would feel lively with the company of his two daughters sitting beside him.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Bauchi Governor May Pick Farouk Mustapha As Running Mate—Sources
The disease hinders him from walking freely. “I had to lean on walls to walk upright before having my wheelchair,” he told WikkiTimes. “And we have been coming to see doctors in this hospital; however, the process was really stressful but there was no alternative.”
Alhasaan said he had spent about N200,000 in the last three years, just to tackle the illness head-on. “For over three years I have been spending not less than N3,700 monthly on drugs alone.”
Getting a doctor to attend to her father on time was another horrid experience for Fatima, one of Alhassan’s daughters.
“The process was really stressful,” she lamented. “One has to come by 6:00 am to submit his hospital hand card and then wait until later in the day. Sometimes, it might not be in a single day.”
A nurse (name withheld) attending to Alhassan explained to this paper that most cardiovascular patients among other symptoms experience headache, chest pain, inflammation of certain organs, and difficulty in breathing. “They also have intermittent blood pressure levels.”
READ: For Stealing Mosque fan, 25-Year-Old Bauchi Man Gets Jail Term
According to her, the kidney is the most vulnerable organ to get affected by the disease. “It easily attacks or damages the patient’s kidney if proper care and treatment are not adhered to.”
Just like Alhassan, Tawus Haruna, a resident of Tafawa Balewa — also suffering from cardiovascular — decried how strenuous it could be to get a doctor (to attend to him) in ATBUTH
Haruna who has been paralysed by the disease said, “the process to see a doctor is another stressful expedition in the hospital. But with the help of my cousin who works in the hospital, it becomes easier for me.”
The 60-year-old man stated that he has spent over N500,000 in the year-long struggle, “yet we are not getting considerable improvement so far,” he groaned.
