Nigerias Healthcare Nigerians Healthscare

I have been thinking about moving back to Nigeria for a while now, and every time I come home for the holidays, the thoughts become stronger ...until now. Nigeria’s Healthcare system has scared me big time. It seems there are remedies for all Nigeria’s problems if you have money, but one thing you can't ignore is healthcare. One can tell me”but Femi B if you have money, you can travel out of the country and get treatment outside" But my reply is what if time and movement are huge factors? One leaving in Nigeria should just pray that they never fall really sick because.......

Here are a few problems that bothered me to the top. But I’ll give a quick synopsis

My dad is ill so we've been in the hospital for a couple of weeks now. They tell us to consider ourselves lucky because first, he is in the best hospital (UCH) in Nigeria in terms of expertise and he is in the private suite wing of the hospital (meaning he pays more he gets preferential treatment and a "hotel like" room. BULLSHIT!!!!!

1. This so called "hotel Like" room never has constant water running, we beg them to fetch water and they give us attitude. Light is never constant (a couple of times he has been administered drugs and care with the nurse placing a flash/torch light in her mouth so her hands are free to administer care to him. Nothing is handicap accessible; you literally jump out of the elevator onto the landing (that’s even if the elevator works). Equipment regularly malfunctions or there is no power to turn them on. With all these silly issues, they are charging crazy for their so called "private suite".
We’ve brought our Generator, water, toiletries, gloves and much more because they seem stingy with theirs e.g one tiny harsh toilet roll for one week.

2. Most of these nurses and in-house DR.'s don’t know what they are doing. We have to keep our own chart and document everything because they are not doing their jobs properly or they forget what drugs they've already given him. Mosquito has almost chopped me with the lack of flush doors and mosquito net. And they still charge crazy money
ok maybe their hotel like room, big enough, tv,ac, hot leaking fridge, computer &internet, private bathroom aka bathing disaster, nice paintings, automatic bed the nurses don’t know how to operate and less more..Lol.

3. Using the toilet is a disaster as one has to spread legs so as not to be hitting the sink or the shower basin, because there is no ample space. One would be thinking with this design the contractor must definitely be a retard....nothing else. everything is elevated and there are no ramps, I mean how does one who is confined to a wheel chair or a really sick person manage to enter and have good bath well well without tripping and cracking a skull or two...lol and they continue to charge crazy fees.

Then if they say we are lucky, I wonder what happens to those in the other wards and those that have not gotten money to have such "hospital Luxury". I mean I met a lady down stairs one day asking me to aid her with her son’s drug bill. I imagined it would be so high that was why she could not pay it. Then I asked her to show me the bill, it was N1, 200 ($10) men...I was humbled, I gave her the money and see how this old woman was kneeling to thank me. It’s embarrassed and saddened me a bit. I wonder how many others out there not able to afford some basic things.

Today is the last day of the year, Im thankful for family and friends, those that are praying, prayed and those who are even financially helping us too. More grease to your ashy elbows and may your elbows continue to be greased throughout 2009. Seriously, May God bless everyone tremendously, may God know your house address and may the devil loose your house address... Amen..till next year.
Have a wonderful new year everyone.

UCH Holiday

At the ending of summer this year, I had some weird thoughts about how I had a perfect family and how everyone was fine and dandy. I looked at each one of the members of my family and not one had any problem or so ever. We have never had any misfortune or any serious issue that couldn't be taken care of. I wondered if God favored my family so much because when you hear other stories of different families....... Then i thanked God and asked him to preserve this grace and mercy over my family.

Now months later, planning to come home to Nigeria for a wonderful holiday, and i came home to nights, days, holidays, birthdays and all in UCH (horrid Hosipital in Ibadan). I asked God why why why? because all i could remember was ..He has always given us grace to triumph such in due time and it seems like this nightmare does not want to end quickly especially during this festive period. I mean how depressing is xmas day in the hospital. (even the UCH staff tried to cheer us up by giving him a gift and taking a picture. I was so mad, who wants a picture remembering such nonsense)

From this experience I have been greatly humbled. I have had some serious pet peeves that now i must say i have overcome them. eg
I can never seem to stand to watch someone brush their teeth. I would almost puke. (however now, I do that for my dad and even much more. I refused to change diapers for my lovely niece because i thought it was just nasty but now i do more for my dad.

My dad is still in the hospital now and i pray daily that he gets better than even before. Tomorrow is going to be his 66th birthday and it pains me that his plan for his "jeans and mini skirt party " would be holding in UCH this year. I love my dad dearly and i believe he is the best dad i could ever have


I remember the year I was to come to the US to study. My mum had travelled and had asked my dad to make sure i got my student visa or she would hold him responsible. My dad in his busy schedule drove me to the embassy that morning and we began to queue. A couple of hours later, we realized that he had forgotten his money bag at yaba which is quite far from where the embassy was considering the traffic in Lagos. My dad suggested going back to the house, but i told him that if he went with his car, he might not be back by the time they call for me and I would not be able to pay for my visa fees and that would hold a huge problem eg not getting my visa

My dad decided to charter an okada man (dangerous commercial motorcycles) in his native attire and head to yaba and back in due time. My dad then was the chairman of Ibadan North Local govt, (like a Mayor of a county) and was also clocking 60. He told me that while crossing the 3rd mainland bridge, he used his fila (hat) to cover his face so no one would recognize him. That small act by my dad made me have the uttermost respect and love for him because i wonder if I was 60 and holding a public office, will i ever take okada (dangerous commercial motorcycles) to aid my child?????


Happy Birthday Akinbayo Olufemi Beckley. Get well soon. Aint i lucky..im named after both my mum and my dad.

We don Land

Got to Nigeria and went straight to the Hospital. Please help pray for my dad. He is really ill and in the hospital. I have a lot to say about Nigerias Healthcare system but for now, Im focused on doing all i can for my dad to be well and i'll begin my rant of my Nigerian Holiday experience, beginning with the very useless Health care we have.

Miss my blog rounds men ...... saying the internet i've been using in Nigeria is slow ......is a huge huge understatment. I mean if all were like this, I wonder how people don't smash their screens in frustration.

Original, Americanized/westernized

In a while i'd be leaving the cold of here and heading for the scorching heat of naija for a rockful xmas. I intend to keep blogging as I hope to get unlimited Internet access by God's grace. Anyway I love listening to all types of music and Nigerian music tops the list once a while. I had an argument with a friend of mine about the originality of the Nigerian music out there now. I must say the Nigerian Music industry has grown and developed in the past few years and her complaints were most of them were not original in the sense that they were copying the west in terms of music and music videos. Now I would try and be an advocate for both sides and y'all be my judge to decide the case.

Original

Or so

Being original, we could say we need to keep our culture our heritage. We need to be proud of who we are and stop copying the west on everything they do. Our Music must showcase we are Nigerians ...we are Africans. We have been brainwashed to think that parts of our culture might be "fetish". But this is only done to discredit what the west does not understand. We need to be proud of who we are and no matter what type of culture we have, it needs to be portrayed in all we do. How else can we show that we are not inferior to others if we don't portray our own and be original with what we have. 

I mean...if i want to listen to hip-hop, rap, pop, r&B etc, I would stick to the Americans because it is theirs and they know how to do it well well. We need to coin our own and let the world know. The jamaicans have their reggae, trinidad has their soca music, 

why can't we coin ours?

Westernized

Then again we could also argue in favor of the westernized music in that every other thing of our lives are mimicked around the western culture. I mean we live in an interdependent globalized world.

Language, 

We all speak some form of a western language. our native languages are not part of our national language

food, 

Well, we have incorporated a lot of westernized food in our cuisine

wedding

white wedding dresses, some ceremonies and the works are definitely not part of our culture, so does that mean we are not original or in touch with out culture

Movies

We all follow American movies, music, politics, everything

Clothes

Well our casual clothes are very much westernized.

So if we have 98% of our daily life surrounded with western culture, why cant music be part of it to. If i listen toamerican rap music and american hip hop all day, when i want to rap my own.... (garbage in garbage out).

Personally, ... I would listen to any kind of music as long as it is good (vocals, lyrics, beats/musicality) Americanized or original. As long as they are not using Beyonce's beats or Lil Wayne's hooks im ok with it. I guess it is easier to do what you know. A lot of people do not listen to the traditional music anymore and even when they have music awards in Nigeria, fuji, apala, afro juju, juju etc are all left out of the categories. So where do you want these average artiste to dig out their Africaness or Nigerianess from??

First video Rugeddy Baba ft. 9ice

Second Video Dj jimmy jatt ft. Blaise, Sasha (my high school hommie), Bouquoi, Kemistry.

Femi B

I am so busy with school and travel plans, that I feel I am loosing my blogging mojo and i have started to feel guilty. (I need my mojo back) That sounds so funny cos, i remember mojo also meaning blue film which also means porn...hmmm anyway i feel Like it is a sin now not to update kia kia. I have so much posts to do, but since my brain is all scattered from finals, I'll reserve my thoughts till when final finishes. BTW I am also going to Nigeria for a chieftancy title..yes ke I have been awarded Iyalode ajagunrocker of Blogvilleland situated in Ibadan. I kid oh but im going home for the holidays..yippee. I trust my family..one week of pampering (generator, A.C, real Pounded yam etc) then the remaining weeks doing "house girl" duties. I'll just use this post to do a lil soul searching......who femi B really is


Femi B
Pregnant women, maternity hospitals and new born babies frighten and irritate me. (i am seriously praying against it)

I am disgustingly afraid of cats..i think they'd spit in my eye and i'll go blind

My favorite past time is dancing in my room in front of the Mirror naked (completely sometimes) with heels.

I pick up hobbies as fast as i drop them....most are crafty and artistic/funny hobbies

I absolutely love dark humor. or maybe i see the humor in everything

I imagine how bloggers look like and i have been dead wrong all the time (met some bloggers over thanksgiving break...they are the nicest people ever)

I imagine the lives of people i see and play a movie of them in my head

I always wonder if my parents still have sex and if they do.....what do they do??? my parents are in their 60's

You'd be my friend for life if you can act a fool with me at a blink of an eye. (good friends/good clowns are hard to find)

I have broken my ankles four times and 2 of them were on the same day but 2 years apart. (I can be clumsy)

My ultimate retirement plan is to be a sexy onilu (band singer) i think i might just have the vocals to do fuji,,,my voice sucks but i think I can be quite nasal.

I hate driving because i hate to concentrate for a long time. (my mind likes to wonder)

I am yet to accept my brothers in law as family..nothing personal, they are very nice guys but its taking me longer to see them as family. hmmm..maybe becos i secretly feel they have broken my nice close knit family by taking my sisters away.......lol. holidays and family pics would never be the same again. lol


And lastly i think about moving back to Nigeria all the time. When ....i don't know