AN HIGH STANDARD MEDICAL CENTRE IN NIGERIA

Have you ever been to the Federal Staff Medical Cente on Airport road, in the Jabi district of Abuja before? Wao! If you have not been there you certainly must be missing where a medical institution is so organized in amanner that will make you wonder if you are in Nigeria.You know women. She wanted a preventive measure and recommended the hospital. On the appointed day, I had another assignment that took me away. My folks went there, they got treatment and returned with tales of sweet experiences.On the next appointment for a check up, I drove them there. We entered while I was measuring my expectations. As we took our seat, my wife went to pay for the N500.00 to be consulted. Within, minutes a frontline staff came calling her and delivered her small card. In minutes, one of the four nurses called her, her blood pressure was taken and her weight.In a couple of minutes, she was to see the doctor. From our entry to seeing the doctor was concluded in 38 minutes.That is not the surprise in the real sense. One of the nurses had to call a particular patient nine times! She kept calling. The patient sauntered in. The nurse was so friendly unlike the other government and private hospitals. I was so shocked.There were several instances that if you visited other hospitals you will get the ungodly harsh words of nurses. Like the case of the patient who was called nine times. She could not even answer her name. She was pampered as if she is paying them.Within the 38 minutes we sat there, thefloors had been cleaned over and again.While there, a patient, about 73 years was brought from the inner part of the hospital on wheel assisted by a uniformed hospital staff.I had to marvel if this is truly Nigeria orI was dreaming. While still trying to cope with what is very un-Nigerian, a colleague, Gbenga Omkhunu ofTheNationnewspaper spotted me.When I made my observation known tohim, he started narrating his own greatexperience of the hospital. The journalist in me won’t leave me alone. Ihad to go outside and accost six of the patients and the praises knew no bounds. One of those I interviewed, Mrs Onoja was just full of prayers for those who designed the concept of the hospital.Everyone spoke glowingly of the doctors and how by their managementmake hospital a truly therapeautic institution. The smell of the environment is too right unlike every hospital in this country with a particular offensive odour.This is the first Nigerian hospital that as a parent who is receiving treatment your toddler can get toys that will keepthem busy until you conclude your own activities!This Chinese-Nigeria friendship hospital was commissioned by Dr Goodluck Jonathan on the 28thJanuary 2013.If the way patients are treated as kingsand queens here is anything to go by, falling ill will be a good past time.