Page 88 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Attitude of health-care workers toward hospital patients

Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics of the study respondents
S/N Gender Age Occupation Religion Education Marital status
IDI 1 Male 52 Doctor Christian M.Sc Married
IDI 2 Female 40 Public health-care worker Christian M.Sc Married
IDI 3 Female 35 Nurse Christian BSc Married
IDI 4 Male 38 Nurse Christian BSc Married
IDI 5 Female 39 Medical social worker Christian M.Sc Married
IDI 6 Female 29 Medical social worker Christian M.Sc Married
IDI 7 Male 34 Medical social worker Atheist BSc Single
IDI 8 Female 40 Grass-cutting worker Christian WAEC Married
IDI 9 Male 36 Nursing mother Christian HND Married
IDI 10 Female 55 Civil servant Christian BSc Married
IDI 11 Female 59 Farmer ATR OND Widow
IDI 12 Female 50 Trader Christian FSLC Married
IDI 13 Female 43 Farmer Christian WAEC Married
IDI 14 Female 50 Trader Christian WAEC Married
IDI 15 Female 19 Sales girl Muslim FSLC Single
IDI 16 Male 47 Farmer ATR FSLC Married
IDI 17 Male 37 Provision store seller Christian WAEC Married
Abbreviations: ATR: African Traditional Religion; BSc: Bachelor of Science; FSLC: First School Leaving Certificate; M.Sc.: Master of Science;
OND: Ordinary National Diploma; S/N: Serial Number; WAEC: West African Examination Council.

“Most of the healthcare workers in Nigeria abandoned symptoms of COVID-19. Extracts from IDI respondents
their patients. Patients were abandoned because are as follows:
healthcare workers were scared of COVID-19. At the “Patients were abandoned by health-care workers,
peak of the coronavirus in Nigeria, a patient was carried especially when they saw symptoms of coronavirus in
to the hospital in a vehicle, and when the patient was the patients; the patients passed away due to lack of care.
brought out of the vehicle, he was vomiting and very Most of the people who went to the hospital during this
sick. The nurses saw the condition of the patient, and period died. A patient’s informal caregiver was denied
they all ran away. One went to the toilet and never
came out until the patient was carried out of the access to the hospital to meet and take care of his sick
hospital. Health-care workers took social distancing relative, and later on, the patient passed away due to
to the extreme and abandoned their patients. Most lack of care. Hospital patients were not taken care of.
of the patients that went to the hospital received poor A lot of them passed away” (IDI 9: nursing mother).
treatment” (IDI 17: provision store seller). “Many people who had other illnesses before
“My mom was hospitalized at the University of COVID-19 passed away during COVID-19. Hospitals
Nigeria Nsukka Medical Centre when COVID-19 were short-staffed partially because the healthcare
started. This period was a very bad one. The nurses workers were not attending to the patients, and
deserted the hospital; my mother was not being taken some stopped going to work. Patients were literally
care of by the nurses. A lot of the nurses stopped abandoned by the healthcare worker. Hence, many
coming to work when the lockdown began. My mom’s rich men also passed away. Those rich men who go
condition became worse because of the lack of care abroad for medical checkups could not go because of
from the healthcare workers. I had to take her home the lockdown and travel bans, and as a result, many of
and continue with herbal treatment” (IDI 12: trader). them passed away” (IDI 13: farmer).
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, Some factors that influenced the negative attitude of
health-care workers were afraid to come close to patients health-care workers toward hospital patients during the
out of fear of contracting the virus. This led to a record COVID-19 pandemic were identified through IDIs. Some
high of non-COVID-19-related deaths. Healthcare of the factors include lack of PPE and hospital equipment
workers avoided patients on discovery of any of the in general; lack of incentive and hazard allowances; and

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2743