DR

My name is Onyedikachi and over the years, I have been known by numerous versions of this. After leaving MHS, I went to Cardiff University to study medicine (of my own volition, fairly unusual in Nigerian culture!). Back in school, although I was also a fan of the arts, my main passion was for the sciences and a career in medicine felt like the obvious next step (MHS to NHS, if you will!). A Welsh university is perhaps not typical for Millhillians – I only met one OM in the nine years I lived in Wales – but I enjoyed it and made some life-long friends there.

After a lot of post-graduate training and some interesting research as part of my master’s degree, I have settled on cardiology as a specialty because what is more important than the heart? The best part of being a doctor is applying all that scientific knowledge to the management of patients and making a difference to their health and well-being. Over the last six months, I have been working as a registrar. My job involves the management of acutely unwell patients who have been admitted with a heart-related problem and reviewing stable patients in outpatient clinics.

Being a frontline worker during the pandemic is physically and emotionally distressing—we are working gruelling shift patterns and are losing patients and staff to this disease. No one could have predicted this happening, but the continued support of colleagues and the public’s support of the NHS make me proud to be a doctor. The NHS is recognised world-wide as not only being world-leading in many areas of medicine, but also the fact that it is open to everyone. I feel proud to be part of a health service which is based on need, and not on ability to pay.

What was the hardest or most frustrating part of your job?

There are several patients with acute issues who are scared to come into hospital due to fear of contracting the virus. Unfortunately, the delay in presentation and in some cases, nonattendance have negative consequences in terms of their outcomes.

Obviously, we cannot heal everyone and the fact that some patients die, sometimes unexpectedly can be distressing. Breaking bad news to patients, their relatives and loved ones is never easy. In recent times, hospitals have implemented strict policies limiting the number of visitors per patient to prevent cross-infection. This also means patients are not surrounded by their loved ones when they are most vulnerable.

How do you think the country coped with the pandemic?

There was some initial panic, but this seemed to settle as people became more well-informed about the virus, the symptoms of infection, how to get help and the policies introduced to combat the pandemic. Most continue to adhere to the rules instituted and distancing seems to be the ‘new normal.’

Clearly, we are not out of the woods yet. It is great that we are making some progress towards a vaccine, but there is a lot more to be accomplished. No one is certain how things may go this winter, but I know that all staff in the NHS will do everything they can to help patients back to health.

Were you impressed by how we coped with the pandemic?

It is tricky to answer this without getting political! The government has a very difficult job dealing with, at the risk of overusing an already tired word, an unprecedented pandemic. They have said that they are following the science, but this can be conflicting and sometimes difficult to interpret. In a democracy, decisions are made by politicians and it is they who are ultimately accountable for some of the questionable policies they have put in place.

What was your experience of lockdown and impact on your life?

I was working as usual which of course had its challenges but on the plus side this meant I was permitted to leave my home and benefit from social interactions, albeit in the workplace. In my spare time I rediscovered reading, I made more meals from scratch and like the rest of the country, I even baked a banana bread or two!

What has been the biggest impact on your personal life and why?

It was difficult not seeing my family and friends with the travel restrictions in place. I usually see my parents every summer, but I haven’t this year and I miss them. It has been especially tough as my first nephew was born at the start of lockdown and I have not been able to fly to the United States to see him.

Do you see things ever returning to ‘normal’?

Everyone now talks about the ‘new normal’ of mask wearing and social (I prefer interpersonal) distancing. It is strange how quickly we adapt to new ways of living and relating to one another. Thank goodness we have technology to help to connect us. I certainly hope, like everyone, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine as I miss partying with friends, but until we do, we just need to follow the rules and respect one another.

In the work environment, technology has proven to be very useful in these times and companies have managed to conduct business as usual with their employees working from home. In medicine, I envisage more remote working where possible, for example telephone clinics to improve efficiency, possibly decrease waiting times and also eliminate the stress of travel for elderly patients. Other aspects might not change very much as physical examination is still an essential component of assessing a patient.

Has anything positive come out of the pandemic?

The crisis cultivated a sense of unity against a common enemy (and I do not mean the Conservative government!). People became more creative and devised ways to deal with problems that being in lockdown posed, keeping in touch and rekindling long lost connections via social media. The situation also brought to light the kindness and compassion of the public towards one another, especially towards the vulnerable. Neighbours checked in on, shopped and cooked for the elderly. Donations to food banks increased as did the number of volunteers helping out locally and in the NHS. I hope this sense of community continues.

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of the NHS and in fact, the whole industry of key workers and the disparities in their theoretical value to society and their remuneration. Whether this will lead to any long-term changes and much needed increases in funding is yet to be seen.

What do you miss most about MHS?

I really enjoyed school and made some great friends. I especially enjoyed being involved in house productions. Maybe the drama of hospital life feeds that part of me.