Dr Abdulfatai Olaolu Odemuyiwa, who has spent 30 years working outside Nigeria, is the Chief Medical Director of Caring Habitat Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre, a rehabilitation facility that supports individuals on their journey to wellness and recovery. In this interview with YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE, the medical practitioner speaks on rehabilitation care in Nigeria, expensive hospice care and the vacuum in the rehabilitation care sector, among other issues.
Is patient-centred care really available in Nigeria?
Yes, there is patient-centred care in Nigeria but let me add that this is available mostly in the private sector. And for a country like ours, it is not as prevalent as one will expect or enough to meet the needs of Nigeria’s huge population.
What vacuum do you perceive exists in Nigeria’s rehabilitation care sector?
There is a huge vacuum for multidisciplinary coordinated physical rehabilitative care in the Nigerian health sector; it is indeed a huge challenge and that is why there is need for massive private support for the rehabilitation care sector. And that is why we invested in the first purpose built physical rehabilitation center in Lagos with a 40-bed capacity. We have 24/7 physician coverage as well as physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, pharmacists experienced nurses and nursing aides that form the multidisciplinary care team for each patient. There is much to be done and few institutions available for it presently.
What is your assessment of rehabilitation care in Nigeria?
There are various types of rehabilitative care and ours is physical rehabilitation. We still need a lot more of this so that our public and private hospitals can be decongested. We are giving this kind of care to fill the huge vacuum in the nation’s health sector. And we have made it quite easy; our facility can be accessed through an acute care hospital as well as from home. Our medical director assesses the patient to ensure they are medically stable and then have a meeting with the family or responsible party to identify the goals of care. This direct personalized approach is what is missing in Nigeria.
Hospice care is expensive in Nigeria; how do you think people can get good care without going bankrupt?
I think a major way out is health insurance. Hospice care is one of the services we provide at Caring Habitat and some insurance companies are beginning to offer coverage for this. I am hopeful that this will only get better as time goes on.
Neurological conditions like brain injury and sclerosis are Ike a death sentence in Nigeria? Should this be so?
These are progressive degenerative conditions that are difficult to manage anywhere in the world. However, such conditions shouldn’t be a death sentence; at Caring Habitat, we will at least be able to help the individual perform their activities of daily living, provide assistive devices from our well stocked warehouse so people with these incurable conditions can live independently as much as possible. Wheelchair bound people are still able to drive in many parts of the world; it should not be different here in Nigeria.
What vacuum has Caring Habitat been able to fill?
It has been able to fill the vacuum of patients too sick to stay at home on their own and too well to be in an acute care hospital. In most cases, such patients find it difficult to get care in the desired manner and that is the vacuum we fill, at Caring Habitat, you get that opportunity for care without stress, we are a halfway house that fills that void. Medical disability is not insurmountable and so must not stop anyone from living their best possible life, changing that narrative and helping people live full lives is our objective.
Why do you think Nigeria needs rehabilitation centres?
Nigeria needs rehabilitation centres like Caring Habitat because it is a purpose-built in-patient rehabilitation centre. We are a population of over 200 million people and therefore we need more centres that can help to transition people from dependent to independent living. We provide unique patient centred care; we take a personalised approach, crafting a unique treatment plan designed exclusively for each person’s needs. Our goal is to guide you through your rehabilitation journey, and ensure you regain quality life. And because we understand the uniqueness of each person’s journey to recovery, we deliver specialised care that fits individual needs with precision and care whether you require short-term, in-patient care or ongoing support for chronic conditions, our commitment is to deliver compassionate and personalised care designed specifically for you. Our comprehensive services include physical rehabilitation for stroke, catastrophic illness, post-operative recovery, frailty, debility, and arthritis, as well as expert management of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain and dementia.
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At a period that doctors are migrating enmasse, what inspired you to back home?
I was inspired by the extent and gravity of the need out here. We have one of the highest incidences of stroke in the world and correspondingly, a very high mortality from it. These are scary statistics when you look at the numbers. We want to change this narrative and also get people back into the workforce after a catastrophic or debilitating illness in the shortest possible time, empowering them to reclaim their lives. In addition to this, no one will build Nigeria but Nigerians. Caring Habitat is the first purpose built in patient physical rehabilitation hospital of this magnitude in Lagos whose time has come to address the enormous need out there.
How can government help the rehabilitation cure sector of the health sector?
I will advocate for more Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and also training of therapists, especially speech therapists who are essential to this role. In addition, government should encourage the transfer of patients from both government and private facilities into Rehabilitation Hospitals if appropriate then they should encourage HMOs to pay adequately for inpatient physical rehabilitation services. I advocate more PPPs from government as they can’t do everything alone.
Governments at all levels should establish facilities within their states and geopolitical zones; we need at least one in each geopolitical zone.
Do you think the masses also contribute to the rot in the health sector?
Yes, they do indirectly by patronising quacks and others without the required qualifications. Fake drug manufacturers are also a huge problem in our society. I urge the people to become more consciously aware of their health, take advantage of preventative health services and stop patronising quacks and chemists.
