Some people are buried alive in Nigeria due to lack of life-saving equipment – Medical expert

By Emmanuel Okogba A Nigerian medical doctor based in Canada, Arinze Onwumelu, popularly known as Dr Zo, has raised concerns over the shortage of life-saving equipment in Nigerian hospitals, warning that patients with potentially reversible medical emergencies could die without receiving appropriate treatment. Onwumelu made the remarks in a video shared on his Instagram account, @official_doctor_zo, where he called on Nigerians to hold government authorities accountable for gaps in the country’s healthcare system.

The doctor alleged that many government-owned hospitals lacked essential emergency equipment, including automated external defibrillators (AEDs), heart monitors and electrocardiogram (ECG) machines. “In my opinion, some Nigerians are buried alive in Nigeria. Ninety-five (95) per cent of government-owned hospitals don’t have defibrillators, AEDs, heart monitors or ECG machines,” he said.

He questioned how medical personnel could determine the cause of a sudden collapse or identify a potentially treatable heart rhythm abnormality without access to appropriate diagnostic equipment. “How on earth can you tell if someone slumped due to a heart attack or other forms of reversible arrhythmia?” he asked. Onwumelu, who said he had worked in emergency departments in Nigeria before relocating to Canada, recalled his experiences at the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).

He claimed that during his time working in the facilities in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he did not encounter automated external defibrillators or heart monitors in the emergency departments where he worked. According to him, the absence of essential equipment made it difficult for healthcare workers to assess and manage some patients presenting with life-threatening conditions.

“If they bring somebody like Toluwanisings to the hospital, how are you going to know what is wrong? How do you determine whether the person can still be revived?” he asked. The doctor also recounted an incident involving a 12-year-old boy who, he said, died at the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia when essential equipment, including oxygen and a nebuliser, was unavailable.

He described the experience as particularly painful, recalling the grief of the boy’s mother. “The silent cry of that woman is something I will never forget,” he said. Onwumelu argued that the availability of appropriate emergency equipment, alongside trained personnel and timely intervention, could improve the chances of survival for patients experiencing certain medical emergencies.

He particularly highlighted the importance of defibrillators in treating some life-threatening heart rhythm disturbances, noting that prompt recognition and treatment can be critical in cardiac emergencies. The doctor also rejected suggestions that he should personally purchase and donate the equipment to hospitals, insisting that the responsibility for providing functional public healthcare infrastructure rests primarily with government authorities.

“You people should hold your government accountable,” he said. He questioned what he described as the contrast between public spending on political campaigns and the reported shortages of essential medical equipment in healthcare facilities. Onwumelu further urged Nigerians to demand improved healthcare services and greater accountability from elected officials, arguing that the country had the resources to strengthen its health system.

He cited developments in other African countries as examples of the improvements he believes Nigeria should pursue.