Navigating through Nigeria's struggling health system: The staggering experience of a struggling family

ABSTRACT

She was born at 28 weeks of gestation and weighed 800g. Following delivery, her mother suffered wound dehiscence and was re-admitted for a prolonged period. For the care of the little baby, the father had preferred a public health facility where the cost is less prohibitive. Incidentally, Nigerian resident doctors were 23 days into a nationwide industrial action at the time; health workers were on strike during the two previous births. With no one available to help out with household chores, the father alone combined the care of two children and the logistics of two hospitals. Having to pay hospital bills out of pocket, the financial burden became unbearable, and the baby's siblings soon dropped out of school. Though the prolonged stay in the hospitals eventually ended on a happy note, it came at a huge social and economic cost that may linger for some time.