A test of faith Week 40, 2015

It was embarrassing to me. Here I was – a medical doctor and finding it increasingly difficult to pay for my upkeep. I was well into my National Youth Service; posted as the medical officer in charge of the Government Hospital Ojobo. Actually I was the only doctor in this rural riverine community. The National Youth Service Corps sent an allowance every month for the upkeep of every corper, and usually some pay was expected from the State ministry of health, but owing to some default payment had not come. Subsistence was becoming difficult and those of us in the rural areas were hard hit as we struggled to remain in our posts without the necessary funds. At that time in mid 1992 the States were yet to commence payment of call duty to the doctors on national service.  Months before this Mrs Brisibe had given me a note to the Commissioner of Health who promised to do something about it. When I felt I could no longer bear it I went to the zonal head quarters and sought audience with the board in hope of some relief- no matter how temporary. After all they were the ones who redeployed me from Bomadi to Ojobo which was 45 minutes away by boat. Surely they would intervene. In the meeting I was shocked at the response. “You can’t be serious.” The then board secretary (a Jehovah’s Witness with whom I had discussed Jesus and salvation) told me. “Are you not a doctor? When you see patients demand from them money for service!” I could hardly believe my ears. No one refuted or hushed him before me and I had to leave empty. The very board that should ensure ethical practice was urging me to rip-off the public I served!

How could I go back to my vomit? For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor Gal 2:18(KJV). I had openly fought those who did that under my watch and had told them in clear terms “It is either you get rid of me or this practice must stop”. This was in response to their assertion that they would not stop exacting money from the community during my meeting with them. They would charge the recognised government fees alright, but would demand their own cut for each service rendered nonetheless. All cadres of clinical staff had been involved in this before me. I could not stomach it. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them Eph 5:11(ESV). How was I going to survive? I wasn’t going to leave the church or community now.

I approached the pastor of the church and he graciously gave me a loan. I swallowed my pride and fed on the borrowed money. Some while after God’s intervention appeared. Delta State government decided to pay call duty to NYSC doctors and did so with arrears. They became the first State in Nigeria to do so. When the money reached me the one I borrowed was now like a tithe of it. I gratefully returned the money to the church, paid my tithes and became a source of succour to the non doctors who were on Youth Service with me in the riverine, suffering without their allowance. I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD Ps 27:13-14.