A Nigerian doctor has recounted a heartbreaking experience involving a six-year-old boy who died after a power failure disrupted his treatment in a hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
In a narration shared online, the doctor recalled how the incident happened while working in the children’s emergency unit, where the young boy, who was the child of a hospital staff member, was rushed in and required intensive care.
According to the doctor, the boy’s mother initially broke down in tears after learning that his treatment could cost millions of naira. However, the medical team managed to move him into the PICU and worked tirelessly to keep him alive.
The doctor explained that frequent power failures forced them to rely on a backup generator, which they manually operated whenever the hospital’s main generator went off.
Unfortunately, one evening, the generator’s starting rope became faulty while they were trying to restore power. The hospital’s backup power supply also went off, causing the boy’s vital signs to deteriorate. He later died.
Recounting the painful experience, the doctor said:
“It was my first time experience of seeing somebody die of something so stupid, electricity in the hospital.Our healthcare is already terrible enough and many doctors break. Those doctors are broken doctors as a result of a broken system.”
The doctor further apologised for medical workers who sometimes appear rude, arrogant or nonchalant, explaining that many are struggling under difficult working conditions.
The account has highlighted concerns about inadequate electricity and infrastructure in Nigerian hospitals, as well as the difficult conditions healthcare workers face while trying to save lives.