Symptom-based treatment may lead to wrong diagnosis, warn experts

As the brain drain in the health sector popularly known as japa syndrome remains unabated, medical experts have said the disturbing trend will continue to impact negatively on treatment outcomes.

The experts pointed out that as a result of a shortage of manpower and equipment; many physicians just treat their patients based on symptoms, warning that relying only on such a treatment approach could lead to wrong diagnosis and medication.

They noted that owing to the lack of personnel and state-of-the-art equipment in the country’s health facilities, Nigerians with deep pockets continue to seek medical care abroad.

Chief Executive Officer of Diamed Healthcare Centre, a new multi-specialty facility in Lagos, Dr Abiola Olorode, disclosed this at an event on the forthcoming launch of the health facility.

She identified a lack of advanced medical tools and over-reliance on symptom-based treatments as key drivers of medical tourism in Nigeria.

“This unfortunately reduces doctors to just symptom-based treatments, which can lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary medications,” Olorode said.

No fewer than 10,296 Nigeria-trained doctors are presently practicing in the United Kingdom, according to the Nigerian Medical Association.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, in 2023. said the country still needs about 400,000 health workers to cater to the healthcare needs of Nigerians effectively.

The Diamed CEO said that if Nigeria must reduce medical tourism, the healthcare providers must anchor treatments on evidence-based tools.

She stated that the facility would have state-of-the-art equipment and this allows for a wider range of tests, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved treatment outcomes.

 Olorode said, “Diamed Diagnostic Centre which will be officially launched soon is a multi-specialty facility offering a wide range of diagnostic services, preventive care options, and consultations with experienced healthcare professionals.”

Sharing her experience, the medical director said she had spent her career witnessing the challenges of limited diagnostic tools and a reliance on symptom-based treatments in Nigeria.

“This approach can lead to misdiagnosis, unnecessary medications, and drug resistance and Diamed’s vision is to provide Nigerians with high-quality, evidence-based medical care in a comfortable and accessible environment.

 “I have been on this journey for about 10 years with the feasibility study, the planning, and the construction. So, the major reason this came to me is that I believe that, because I trained in the UK and the US, the type of healthcare you get abroad should be available to Nigerians.

“That’s one of the things that made me think of it because if you look at this, you can get all the state-of-the-art technology to do evidence-based management of patients”, she said.

Giving further insight into the importance of offering evidence-based care to patients,  Olorode noted, “What do I mean by evidence-based? When you see a patient, they come full of symptoms, and based on the symptoms, you now do what we call examining the patient.

“And then we have what we call a science, you pick from the examination. Based on the symptoms and the science from the patient, you now look at trying to formulate a diagnosis.

“What should normally happen is you now have a series of tests to confirm what you’re thinking is going on with the patient. “

According to her, due to a lack of diagnostic tools or equipment in Nigeria, people moved straight from the symptoms and science to giving medication.

 She added, “Also, it is focused on preventive care. Diamed encourages annual checkups and early detection of health issues and we are huge in patient-centered care. The centre prioritises patient comfort and emphasises a personalised approach to care.

 “The centre is conveniently located and easy to reach. It also has skilled healthcare professionals. We had a team of highly trained doctors, including in-house doctors and a network of consultants and specialists.”

 The Facility Manager at the centre, Joseph Adeyanju stressed the need to stop medical tourism in Nigeria.

Adeyanju explained that the facility has specialised divisions for neurology, orthopaedics, cardiology, and oncology, which are among other salient features.

He said each department is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and staffed by highly skilled medical professionals trained both locally and internationally.

“For instance, we have put in place the first 3D mammography machine, known as the 3 Dimensions Mammography System in Nigeria. The new technology will help deliver a higher state of care by providing enhanced images to help detect breast cancer when it is in the earliest, most treatable stages.

“3D Mammography will improve our ability to better detect dangerous cancers, and at the same time reduces the likelihood of further testing for suspicious findings that turn out not to be cancer,” the facility manager at Diamed Centre.”