Rochas Ibe, a self-employed programmer said he was experiencing tooth ache around his down molars, and upon viewing it in a mirror, he sighted what looked like a crack on a tooth and a hole at the region. He knew he had to see a doctor.
On Thursday, April 3, 2026, Ibe got dressed around 11 am with the feeling that he could just walk into a hospital and get attended to by a dentist, following the persistent tooth ache and the observations made.
At first, he thought of finance and which hospital could be more affordable, and later decided to check the closest government hospital, which is Nyanya General Hospital, Abuja.
“So, I dashed into the hospital and walked straight to the reception room and made my request known to the staff around, oblivious of the hospital modalities,” Ibe told THE WHISTLER correspondent during a conversation.
“The staff politely looked at me and said, “is this your first time here?” I said yes, the staff then said, come back tomorrow as early as 6am. That way, you will be able to obtain a number and a card as well,” Ibe further narrated.
Ibe said he stood so transfused wondering why he could not see doctor that day while it was just 11: 45a.m., just then, the staff told him again that they already have number of people to be attended to, and cannot go beyond that, stressing that they have only three doctors on seat.
He looked around and saw people seated in different spaces and moved to one person to inquire what he wanted to do and what time he came. Then, he was told that the real struggle for patients there often begin long before any consultation.
According to him, coming at that hour, one will only hear that the hospital had already reached its quota for the day and that the numbers and card required before seeing a doctor had all been issued.
Determined to have his problem solved, Ibe went back the next morning, arriving as early as 6:20 a.m. only to become the 20th person for the day. But surprisingly, he didn’t get a card because it was on a public holiday (Good Friday), the hospital said they would attend only 15 persons for the day.
He said he went to the staff and pleaded with her to give him the grace to see a doctor to at least know how to manage the pain for the moment, the staff dismissed him saying, “Oga, we can’t go beyond 15 patients, doctors are not available.”
Ibe said he stayed back to see if his fate could carry him, but got disappointed as nobody could listen to his pleas. He then went back, hoping to come back next time earlier than before.
On Tuesday, April 7, after the Easter break, Ibe went back as planned, reaching the hospital at 6:00 a.m. According to him, patients were already seated and, in the absence of hospital staff, had taken it upon themselves to maintain order, assigning numbers based on arrival time. He was the 47th person to arrive.
At this point, he was made to understand that the hospital only issues cards to 70 adults and 30 children. Aside from that, you would have to come another day, except for children that they might have adjusted.
Ibe told our correspondent that at about 7:22 a. m., when the staff member responsible for issuing hospital cards eventually arrived, expectations of fairness quickly gave way to frustration. Instead of following the patient-organised numbering system, the official began distributing cards selectively—prioritising individuals he appeared to know. At this point, murmurs turned into complaints.
Those who had waited for hours questioned the sudden shift. Why were latecomers being attended to first? Why was the established order ignored? Ibe said the staff member stood his ground, insisting that he has the authority to decide who receives cards and in what order. His position only deepened tensions.
According to him, for many patients, the consequences were immediate and disheartening. Hours of waiting stretched into the afternoon. Some remained at the hospital all day, while others eventually left without seeing a doctor.
Ibe further told our correspondent that a patient who said she came around 5:30 a.m., and was the fourth person to arrive at the hospital, became number 30 while the staff was issuing card.
According to him, the patient got so pissed and went about complaining to some other staff, but instead of addressing the issue professionally the staff became defensive to her fellow staff which later escalated to aggressive exchange of words.
“This lady got so pissed and dissatisfied with the whole process, especially with the issuing of cards. She was number four at arrival, but eventually became number 30 on issuing of card, so she became very furious at the hospital staff. She made mention of the man being incompetent.
“However, she laid complaint to a colleague of the staff, but instead of the woman to acknowledge their errors, the woman rather went on the defensive, this almost became a very heated exchange between the two of them, of which the staff was saying very unprofessional things like, it’s her office, even if she gets number, she can show who has the real power here,” Ibe narrated.
He added, “Even me that was number 47 on arrival ended up not getting any number, as soon they exhausted the 70 cards, they turned the rest back, except for children category that is not limited to 30.
At this point, the toothache was almost turning into a migraine due to the stress and psychological trauma of endless waiting.
However, out of desperation, Ibe eventually found his way to a doctor at the hospital (a dentist) and had his teeth examined with possible prescription for treatment.
