By Gom Mirian
The Chief Medical Director of Save A Life Mission Hospital, Dr. Richard Okoye, has identified ignorance as a major contributing factor to low life expectancy in Nigeria.
He explained that many people believe wrongly that if you are a person of faith, you should not seek medical help when faced with sickness because solutions can only come from spiritual places.
In an interview with African Health Report (AHR), Dr Okoye also linked low life expectancy to poor access to basic healthcare facilities, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, a lack of education and restricted access to essential resources.
He lamented that despite being Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria has one of the lowest life expectancies in the region, currently standing at an average of 55 years.
The medical expert claimed that in recent years, messages from various religious and traditional groups have led individuals to mistake their health problems for spiritual attacks, causing them to refrain from seeking appropriate medical care, particularly for diseases that are avoidable.
He said: “This has generated confusion among patients that if you have swelling, which might have been caused by kidney failure, a heart problem, cellulitis, or a wound that should ordinarily heal. You may also observe those who have ulcers that will eventually ruin their legs and lead them to die of diabetes. Many of these people would die, and when they do, you may hear that they had taken poison that had been given by a coworker, a neighbor, or an uncle. Most individuals might believe such to be the case.
“Even the wealthy elite who have gone to school will continue to tell similar stories and die in this tragic circumstance. They will tell you that since your issue is spiritual in origin, you shouldn’t go to the hospital or take your prescriptions. People think taking drugs is a sign of faithlessness. You will observe many people who have cancer who, if detected early, may have been saved. On occasion, they are instructed to drink anointing oil or sow their money as a seed to be healed.
“It is regrettable that so many clergy have perished. Sadly, some of them even pass away while preaching, saying things like, ‘I can’t be sick, that’s not my portion,’ or ‘I can’t be lying in a hospital bed,’ forgetting that a child of God can be tried by poverty and will experience a lot in life since there have always been challenges.
“Whatever one does, you will handle it in line with the knowledge you have. However, start with the known and work your way out to the unknown. You can assess where human effort is being focused with wisdom. God may now continue, but we plead with people to avoid meeting an early demise due to ignorance.”
