“We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment.” – Michael Jackson
Every Institution has the utmost responsibility to cater for the students and staff in their jurisdiction. However, the “first and best” institution has neglected this duty and people suffer for the abnormalities which now pride itself as normalcy. The aftermath of this led to the death of mutual respect, duties and responsibilities that ought to be between the “Governor” and the “Governed”.
Some of such abnormalities are: the erratic power supply; the inadequate water supply in some halls of residence for domestic usage, that causes them to go fetch water from other halls; the scarcity of UI sachet water within the university community; poor internet facility for students in faculties and halls of residence; some lecturers are now known to be a busy-business fellow rather than taking the classes they have with seriousness and the askew treatment given to both students in the University Health Service center popularly known as JAJA, to mention but a few.
WHAT LED TO THE DEMONSTRATION
This mismanagement has led to the sickness, attack, medical crisis and complications or even death of members of the university community. A lot of students have complained of this carelessness. In the past, a chemistry student was injected in the wrong part of her buttocks and she was temporarily paralyzed for two months and had to use crutches for support. This student was taken by her parents for medical treatment in another hospital.
Another instance was the call for an ambulance for an emergency case some couple of months ago in Queen Elizabeth II Hall, which is quite close to the University Health Service center. A few minutes later, the ambulance was yet to come, the lady had to be carried by her friends to the clinic and it was when they got there that they saw the driver just getting into the ambulance.
A different occurrence was that of a student, who used a cotton bud and mistakenly had it stuck in her ear and had to be taken to the clinic because of the pain she was going through. She was told by the doctor to wait for a while as he attended to others, after waiting for so long, she was taken away by her friends, and the bud had to be removed by them.
Some years ago, it was recalled that a resident of Kenneth Mellanby hall collapsed during a football match and when he was rushed for treatment, the young man was left unattended to, because he was not with his JAJA card; unfortunately, he died.
Also, most students are not given the right drugs for their illness, rather they are instructed to rest and take water. Some students suffering from malaria and typhoid are not sent for medical test, instead they are either given Paracetamol or advised to rest.
The most recent which led to the peaceful demonstration on Thursday 7 May 2015, was as a result of the death of Alaran Muslihudeen Mayowa, a 200 level student of Human Kinetics and Health Education and a resident of the Great Independence Hall.
HOW IT REALLY HAPPENED
Though there have been many sides to the story surrounding the death of Mr. Mayowa Alaran, which have generated a lot of controversies within the rank and files among the students. Some believed that his death was due to the negligence of the staff of the University Health Service center; some parties blamed the students for leaving Mayowa unattended to; some said that he had even passed out before they made an emergency call. The story reported by many media houses was on the part that Mayowa was asthmatic and was already dead before they reached the University Health Service center.
However, an eyewitness strongly refuted the stand of the media houses. Our sources explained that: “It was a normal Wednesday night in the hall, and this time, Champions League match was on, so the Junior Common Room was packed to the brim because of the erratic power supply and one television was used for viewing the football match which was powered by a generator.
“Suddenly, Mayowa slumped because of the ventilation of the room was poor. He was carried out of the room and the medical students in the hall administered immediate first aid treatment, cardio pulmonary resuscitation and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation which failed; he was later given ventolin with the use of inhaler. During this sequence of events, one of the students rushed to JAJA clinic to inform the health workers and also requested for an ambulance.
“Fortunately, his fellow hall residents got a car that took him to the clinic before the arrival of the ambulance. The clinic was overcrowded and later Mayowa was given a bed in the clinic. There, his friends were being asked times without number for his JAJA card or JAJA number, which they obviously had no idea of and the patient was unconscious. These questions were asked in order to check his medical history and relate it to the immediate condition of the patient. Though his medical file was later sorted for and there was no record of asthma or any chronic ailment. This confirmed that the student was not asthmatic and his death would have been as a result of suffocation in the tight confined and poor ventilated Junior Common Room of the hall.
“A final attempt to resuscitate him in the University Health Service center was met by an empty oxygen tank. Finally, he gave up in the hospital,” he said.
POINTS TO NOTE:
- The victim was not an asthmatic patient and did not experience an asthma fit because he was not gasping for breath neither did he respond to the inhalers.
- He did not die before he got to the clinic. He died a few minutes after he was admitted in JAJA clinic.
- The demonstration that occurred in the school was not only to fight for Mayowa’s case; it was in response to an accumulation of series of similar incidents, due to the insensitivity and nonchalance of the health officials and some other administrative irresponsibilities.
SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
In view of these, The Union of Campus Journalists’ University of Ibadan hereby gives the following suggestions to the University Management:
- Checking of the Health Officials: The negligence and nonchalance of the University Health Officials needs to be checked. A patient should not be asked to wait till the medical (JAJA) cards are plenty enough before being attended to by the doctor. Emergency cases should be treated as such and responded to immediately regardless of the medical card and be ready for emergencies at any point in time. Perhaps, there is a need for the restructuring of some of the rules in the clinic.
- The Need to Scrap the Use of JAJA Card: The most important information on the medical card is the individual’s University Health number. In place of JAJA cards, this number should be included as part of the details on the I.D cards of each student. This will remove the need of a separate JAJA card.
- Use of biometrics data: For permanence and effective safekeeping, the employment of information technology at the University Health centre is needed and the details of each student would be stored and should be accessible with just a thumbprint. This system would be effective in providing the student’s data even when such student is unconscious rather than combing for medical files for hours while the student die slowly.
- Resuscitation of Health posts in Halls of Residence: The use of health posts in various halls of residence should be re-introduced. It would serve as the first point of call of any ill student in the hall, before being transferred to JAJA clinic, if necessary.
- Stocking the University Health Service centre: There have been cases where students are being given a few medications in the clinic and were told to get the others outside. Of what use then is the advice against self medication? A reputable health centre, especially one from the first and the best University should have a pharmacy well stocked with the necessary drugs and the clinic itself should be filled with adequate amenities.
Mayowa’s case has unfortunately happened, due to fate as believed by our Muslim brethrens, but we also believe it is due to some people’s inefficiency and nonchalance. It is saddening that we keep losing students to little acts like these. It is up to all to prevent future occurrences and that can only happen if positive changes are made, else, this may not be the last.
Signed:
Kareem Tawakalit Alawode Ibraheem Adetiba Peter
President Vice President Editorial Public Relations Officer
