Japa: People who run away from problems are cowards

• Says, there are more opportunities waiting to be explored in Nigeria

From Obinna Odogwu, Awka

The Chief Medical Director of Princeton Specialist Hospital and Orthopaedic Centre, Awka, Dr. Amaechi Nwachukwu, has advised Nigerian health professionals and others planning to relocate abroad to have a rethink.

He argues that there are more opportunities here waiting to be explored, and that those who have what the people need will make money here without much stress.

You were recently honoured by the Anambra State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with an award. What does it mean to you?

Well, the NIPR is an international organisation; of course, this is the Nigerian wing of it. They decided to honour me. Sometimes when you are doing things you won’t know the groups and people that are seeing you. So for whatever reason they didn’t even tell me. They just informed me that I had been nominated for the Young Champion Award, but I know that I do a lot of things. I champion things. I like being first in many things. I was the first private individual to start doing total hip and knee replacement surgeries in Anambra; and then spine surgeries and so many other things. I can’t remember all the firsts actually; but what I know is that I try to innovate; I try to do things that will actually benefit Ndi Anambra and also something that will help stop capital flights. I am also thinking of how to start a kidney transplant centre. When you start a kidney transplant centre in Anambra, you will be the first in Anambra; and then it will also stop capital flights from Anambra State to locations like India, Germany and the rest of them. And when we do it, we do it to standard. The total hip and knee replacement surgeries I started in 2013/2014 have been on and have saved a lot of people. We have done over 250 to 300 in Anambra State. And imagine the cost if it had left Anambra State. So, these are things that we champion and things that we propagate to make sure that the health of Ndi Anambra is improved. That’s probably what they saw. And we have been giving back to society; philanthropy here and there; free surgeries, free this, free that, free donations, and so on. Sometimes I do some surgeries here free of charge; some indigent persons who cannot afford it or for whatever circumstance. Some organisations may come up with something and probably beg me to give them 50 per cent while they pay 50 per cent. I pay 50 per cent, knowing full well that they are only trying to help. There are a lot of things I do. Maybe they saw some of these things and then think that ‘okay this guy is doing well, helping’ and then decided to give me that award.

At a time your colleagues were busy selling off their belongings and running overseas in search of greener pastures, you were here building this big hospital. What informed your choice?

If you are not well tutored, you will be running abroad. For those of us who know, there is money in Nigeria. If you know that you know, there is money in Nigeria. And this is a place you make your money without so much hassle. This is a place you make your money without so many things breathing down on your head. You relax in your hometown, relax in your state. So, if you have what people need, you don’t need to run abroad. You stay here and offer your services, and people will pay for your services. And then you live well. After all, the reason for going abroad is to look for greener pastures. And then when you have greener pastures at home, what you are looking for in Sokoto may just be in your ‘shokoto’ somehow. So, I think that is what inspired me to get this place and then do this massive renovation to suit what I want to use it for. I am even trying to expand because I know that there is money in Nigeria. If you run away, who will salvage your country? Everybody will not travel at the same time. Okay, fine, if I run away, will I carry my old mother and everybody abroad? And then when you want to come back, how will you come back? If you run away and there is insecurity everywhere, even in your own village, then if your old mother passes away, how will you come back to give her a befitting burial? You know that kind of thing? So, we don’t have to run away from the problem. We have to face the problem and solve it. People who run away from problems are cowards. But if you sit down and solve the problem, then you are going to be happy with yourself that you have been able to sort out your issues and make it liveable for you. Our governor always says a liveable homeland. You should make your homeland liveable. That’s one of the reasons I am staying back. If I want to go abroad, I will just go for one week, rest and come back. We have to stay here and salvage our place.

Some patients who need certain orthopaedic services seem to prefer patronising traditional bonesetters instead of meeting people like you. Is there any risk such patients expose themselves to, without knowing it?

Part of the problem is poverty. Poverty makes people think that if they go to the hospital, they will charge them so much. You just want to go to somebody that will be collecting one, one naira at a time. Maybe the person can collect that one, one naira everyday for one year, you may not bother. But if you go to where they say pay N10 and you will have your problem solved, you will say that it is too big; but the other person can collect one, one naira and collect up to N100 but you will still not mind. So, it is part of poverty. That’s just a poverty mentality. But it is not just a poverty mentality; ignorance is also part of it. If you know that if you go to the hospital, you have a fracture and a wound, that the hospital has to treat the wound first and then sort out your fracture, then you don’t have to go to the local bonesetters. There are some problems they solve. You won’t say that completely they are not useful. No! After all, even the gynaecologists are training traditional birth attendants because there are overwhelming numbers of cases that can’t get to the gynaecologists and then people are dying. And so, you have to find a way to sort it out but orthopaedic surgeons are here and then they have services they offer. Anybody who wants a better service should go to orthodox medicine, have the fracture sorted because the job we do is to put it in the way God created it; almost perfectly that way. Some of the bonesetters actually treat patients with wounds and then end up giving the person sepsis; and then eventually the person comes to the hospital when the limb has already gotten very bad and then people tell them that when they get to the hospital their leg may be cut. No, it’s not like that. Sometimes the thing is already bad before they push you to go to the hospital, and by the time they push you to go to the hospital, the hospital can’t help you anymore. So, first of all, if you know you have fractures with wounds or even complicated fractures, go to the hospital. I know that they (bonesetters) earn their livelihoods from there. Treatment is by choice; but what I am encouraging people to do is get to the hospital. Get an x-ray; see what you are treated for, and then after you have been treated, get another x-ray to see the outcome of what you have been treated for, because there is one I had over the weekend. I have been treating that thing for almost how many years now; and then by the time they now got an x-ray we saw that they were in square one and decided to land in the hospital. But we have sorted the person out now. So, these are the things. Ignorance is part of it. Some people know that hospitals are better but because of the poverty issue, they decide to go to the bonesetters. So, we are encouraging the government to ensure that there is universal health coverage so that people can get covered and can easily get to the hospital when they have issues because if you know that you are covered, you can walk into any hospital and get yourself properly treated. You won’t be thinking of paying out of the pockets. People should know where they get the best.

What is that one mistake you have made in your line of duty which you regret deeply each time you remember it?

Everybody makes mistakes. We are not God. We are just here to help. We are humans. We have one or two misadventures, mishaps and the rest of them. When you remember that you feel bad, ‘maybe I could have done better for this person.’ Maybe your initial intention was to help. There is something we talk about, we say ‘you have done your best but your best is not good enough in this circumstance.’ So when you remember such cases you feel bad, maybe I could have done better for this person.’ Maybe if I had done better for this person, maybe the limb would have remained; maybe life would have remained and stuff like that.

What do you think the new Executive Director of Anambra State AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA) should do to actualise the aims and objectives of the agency?

Well, ANSACA is an agency that is very, very important; very paramount in the control of AIDS in Anambra. The creation of awareness alone can lead to reduction in HIV/AIDS prevalence in the state because if you keep ringing it to the ears of the people about HIV, the dangers of HIV, and all the rest of them; when you keep doing that, it will keep sounding to their ears, and many people will abstain from whatever practices that may expose them to the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. So, now that the governor has appointed a new Executive Director, I believe that the activities of the agency going forward will go a long way in reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence in Anambra by the awareness, by practices and by new introduction because even now I know that there are AIDS preventive drugs that are available now. Those drugs can help. So if there are ways the government can get them available to the citizenry and properly subsidise it, I believe that it will also help to reduce HIV prevalence in the state.