Blog Post 2
Trust Renewal Series
Patients’ Lived Experiences: The Evidence Nigeria Cannot Ignore
We have policies.
We have committees.
We have strategies.
We have reports.
But Nigerians still die from preventable causes.
Still suffer avoidable harm.
Still endure humiliation in places meant to heal.
This is why Nigeria must pay attention to a form of evidence we have ignored for too long:
Patients lived experiences.
Patients’ lived experiences are not “complaints.”
They are not “emotions.”
They are not “noise.”
They are the real-world outcomes of our health system
experienced in the body, the wallet, and the dignity of citizens.
A Patient’s Lived Experience: “I Was Sent Back and Forth Until I Gave Up”
An elderly man with worsening chest pain arrived at a facility after borrowing transport fare. He was told:
“Go and do test.”
He went.
They said: “No reagent.”
He returned.
They said: “Go and buy it outside.”
He borrowed money.
He returned again.
They said: “Doctor is not around.”
He waited for hours.
By afternoon, he was exhausted, dizzy, and ashamed.
He stood up and walked away slowly.
On the way home he said something painful to his son:
“Let’s go. Maybe it is my time.”
That statement is not a medical diagnosis.
It is a trust diagnosis.
It is what happens when a health system makes patients feel helpless.
Why Patients’ Experiences Matter
Patients’ lived experiences reveal what routine data often hides:
- Hidden barriers: distance, cost, delay, and discrimination
- Integrity gaps: informal payments, diversion of drugs, absenteeism
- Safety risks: wrong prescriptions, poor infection prevention, negligence
- Accountability failure: nobody explains, nobody responds, nobody learns
When we ignore lived experiences, we end up designing reforms based on assumptions.
But when we listen to patients, we discover the truth.
Patients’ Experiences Are the “Frontline Audit” of the Health System
Every patient interaction is a test of the system:
- Can you access care?
- Can you afford it?
- Are you treated with dignity?
- Are you safe?
- Are you informed?
- Are you protected from exploitation?
- Can you complain and get a response?
When patients repeatedly fail these tests, it is not a personal tragedy alone.
It is systemic evidence of governance failure.
What This Reveals: Integrity is Not Abstract
Many people think integrity is about “morality.”
But in healthcare, integrity is functional.
Integrity determines whether:
- A nurse shows up for duty or disappears without consequences
- A doctor treats based on need or based on who pays
- A drug reaches the patient or disappears into private sales
- A patient is respected or abused
- An error is disclosed or hidden
- A complaint is addressed or ignored
Patients experience integrity, not in speeches, but in reality.
What Must Change (Practical Actions)
To strengthen integrity, Nigeria must treat patients’ experiences as a core data source.
1) Institutionalize Patient Voice
- Patient feedback must be routine, not occasional.
- Complaints systems must be visible, accessible, and safe.
2) Protect Whistleblowers and Patients
- People must be able to report without fear of retaliation.
- Anonymous reporting options should be encouraged.
3) Build Responsive Systems
- A complaint should not end in silence.
- There must be response timelines and corrective actions.
4) Train Health Workers on Communication and Respectful Care
- Many trust breakdowns begin with disrespect.
- Respect is not optional, it is quality.
5) Use Lived Experiences to Drive Reform
- Patterns of patient stories should inform policy, budgeting, and supervision.
The Integrity Call
Trust Renewal is grounded in lived experiences because that is where reality lives.
If we want better health for all, we must stop dismissing patient stories as “small issues.”
These stories are the evidence of our national health condition.
A health system that does not listen to patients cannot improve.
A health system that does not protect patients cannot earn trust.
Nigeria will build a system where patients are not powerless,
but respected partners in care.
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IHAT is here to listen. IHAT is here to act.
Dr. Abdullahi Jibril Mohammed
Convener/CEO, Initiative for Health Accountability and Transparency
Author, Trust Renewal: The Integrity Call for Better Health for All
