HEALTHCARE SERVICE PROVIDERS LACKS COMMUNICATION KNOWLEDGE

The law maker for the people of Tamale North, Hon. Alhassan Suhuyini once made an assertion that, ‘‘communication is the world today, nothing gets done in today’s world without communication. Let the doctors brag but let them communicate wrongly about the prescriptions and about the risks that they do and the whole world would be in jeopardy…’’. Unfortunately, my experienced at the Tamale West Hospital says otherwise.

On Wednesday, 13^th May, 2020, a friend suffered from chest pains and so found it difficult to grasp air. We rushed him to the hospital for treatment, I must say we were attended to with urgent attention at first sight. I am neither a nurse nor a doctor but I condemned the mode of communication used on the patience and those who brought the patience. The doctor wanted to ask for our friend’s medical history but our friend finds it difficult to grasp air to breathe in and out but it seems the learned doctor didn’t notice and became fury on the patience.

I know language should never be a barrier in anything we do especially in our health care system. Considerable, health care service providers should know how to communicate with the hearing impaired not to talk of someone who has all his sense organs functioning well. I cried within when the doctor wanted to inquire to know the level of education of our sick friend because he was not able to articulate well in the English language. What does the level of my education got to deal with this? He was therefore disappointed because our sick friend is at the S.H.S level and not being able to articulate well in the English language.

The doctor had to put our sick friend on standby who was still in pain but managed and attend to other patience. He felt our friend was not articulating well and that the information our friend is giving about his medical history does not tally and therefore wastes time. We sat waiting for about an hour and half before the doctor attend to us. This time around, he did not asked our sick friend anything he just went straight ahead and gave his prescriptions. I found myself in a state of dilemma whether to accept his prescriptions or not because he earlier on said his (our friend) medical history does not tally and therefore he cannot give prescription.

What concluded my doubts to be true was when we witnessed a scuffle between a nurse and the doctor. The basis of their quarrel fell to lack of communication knowledge because they fought over their rights as a health care service provider and that of the rights of a patience.

In a nutshell, in as much I am totally disappointed in our medical system on the issue of communication, I believe all is not lost. I know as part of their study they would be thought communication as a course. So what I suggest is, they (healthcare authorities) should intensify it because in this era that students only want is to read and pass their exams but not focusing on adding it into their life. Workshops, seminars among other things can be organized to intensify on the need for effective communication to exist especially when dealing with patience. Kudos to all healthcare service provider especially the frontline workers in the fight against covid-19.

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Sulemana Hamza