By: Dawda Baldeh
Two female health workers at a private hospital, who have treated critical Kush patients, have spoken about the terrifying dilemmas they encountered.
Calista C. Olisakwue, alias C.C.O, a Nigerian national, and Tuti Kujabi, a Gambian, both worked at Elemast Specialist Hospital, where they treated critical patients who allegedly smoked the deadly substance. They urge young people to desist from taking any substance that poses a danger to their lives.
Narrating their untold experience to The Fatu Network, these young nurses, who are praised by many for their dedication to assisting patients, said this was their first experience handling such violent cases.
Calista had earlier benefited from training on managing Kush patients, organized by ActionAid, which gave her a glimpse into how they react and the treatment process. “I was wondering why someone would take these harmful drugs that can kill them,” Calista said.
Her first experience with a Kush patient was on June 22nd, during her night shift, a day when she treated two critical patients who narrowly escaped death after taking the substance. “I couldn’t believe Kush was actually real until that day… When I arrived at work, my colleague informed me about a Kush patient she treated during the day and showed me the disturbing videos,” Calista recounted.
She narrated: “At night, a patient was rushed into the hospital while the escort was holding the patient’s tongue so tightly. I asked what happened, but they didn’t want to tell me,” she recalled, adding that the patient’s reaction reminded her of Kush. “I rushed to conduct the tests before administering any medication.”
She revealed that due to the nature of the patient’s condition, she asked the escort to continue holding the tongue while she administered medications. “I gave him 5% dextrose 500mls (4 bottles), 1000mg Hydrocortisone (1 vial), 4 ampules of Vitamin B Complex, diluted in 4000mls, and he started responding, but the tongue was still out,” she explained.
She expressed joy after the patient, who was near death, started speaking. “I was so excited,” she said. Calista also revealed that she had another patient a few minutes after discharging the previous one.
“Immediately after I discharged the patient, another one was rushed in. His tongue wasn’t out, but he was almost unconscious. I asked him what happened, but he didn’t want to tell me. I informed him that I wouldn’t call the police but needed to understand the situation to support him,” she narrated.
According to her, this was the second patient she treated that night. “After he regained consciousness, I spent time talking to him in a very polite way, helping him understand that there is no benefit in taking such drugs. He promised that it was his first and last time taking any drug,” the nurse recounted her conversation with the patient.
Tuti Kujabi, the first nurse at the hospital to attend to a Kush patient, described her first experience as terrifying. “When the patient came in with his tongue out, I was shouting… I told them we don’t treat Kush here, go to another hospital, but I pitied the patient and informed my boss about the incident.
“I asked the escort to remove the object they were using to hold the tongue, but they were scared. They continued holding the tongue while I administered medications until the boy started responding,” she explained. She later counseled her patient and encouraged him to stop consuming such drugs, and described her experience as terrifying and urge young people in general to stop taking any drugs.
She questioned why people would use their hard-earned money to buy drugs that could end their lives. “You have to desist from anything that will ruin your life. Don’t even attempt it,” she concluded.
