CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Dr. Helen Abiodun stared at her office brochure and schedule as she thought. What a hectic schedule! She was one of the few neurologists in Nigeria who sought to improve the health sector of her country; this dream proved nearly impossible though as many doctors had fled the country seeking greener pastures abroad. The government needs to appropriately fund the health and education sector to avoid loss of human resources and labor. She sighed as she sat down on her office chair; she had been here and there in the hospital, and she needed a rest. She rocked herself on the chair in her office and closed her eyes.

"Doctor, Doctor!" a nurse who just rushed into her office called

"Yes, what is it?" she asked jerking back to reality.

"Ma'am, it is the lady in the intensive care unit; her heart rate is dropping, and her breathing is unstable!"

Dr. Helen rushed with the nurse to the intensive care unit. The patient had been in coma for four months and counting. She was rushed in with a very heavy hemorrhage; she had lost so much blood and had become anemic.

They arrived at the ICU and Doctor Helen got a reading from the monitor. The ventilator was working but the patient was not getting any air, and the patient's heart was getting arrhythmic. She began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her patient; she quickly removed the probes on her chest, and telling all other medical assistants to clear, she placed the defibrillator on her chest twice.

The patient was resuscitated successfully. Doctor Helen reinstalled the cardiac monitor and the ventilator properly, but the patient remained unconscious. The doctor sighed and turned around to face others present with her in the room.

"Thank you so much team for your prompt observation and response. We work and strife to save as many lives as we can" she said, and they all dispersed to their work posts

Doctor Helen watched the patient for a very long time. Her packed cell volume after testing was fourteen percent-a sign for severe blood loss and anemia. The computed tomography scan also showed intra-ventricular hemorrhage. The lady had hit her head and her side strongly therefore, becoming unconscious and now in coma; only a conservative management can be done, and the rest left for God. The lady had an equal chance of death and of survival. She stared at the beeping monitor a while again and left. She had to update the patient's next of kin of their ward's condition.