She shoved a lab result in my face, and I was momentarily confused.
‘What is this?’, I asked.
It was her grandmother’s ECG result.
‘Doctor, please help me look at this and find out if she’ll need surgery.’
Surgery bawo? For what? What are you talking about?
‘Okay, calm down first. Before I read it, tell me what the matter is.’
She did, and from the history she gave me, it was obvious that mama had symptoms of heart failure.
The ECG also showed findings to support that.
‘Mama will need to see a doctor to properly evaluate her, examine her and determine what particular treatment she will need, as every individual is different.’
This scenario is an all-too-familiar one for the average Nigerian medical doctor.
People go do tests of their own accord, and bring them to you to interpret,
Not realizing that it is the story they tell about how they feel that determines the medical tests that the doctor asks them to do.
Many doctors find this to be annoying, and I am no exception.
It’s putting the cart before the horse,
it’s putting the salt in the pot before the rice.
It is faux science in reverse.
Medical care begins (and may well end) with good history-taking.
Doing medical tests before this is akin to shooting in the dark.
You feel ill? See a doctor.
And yes, pay for their services.
The economy is biting everybody.
