Sometime ago, a middle-aged woman simply identified as Mrs Bello stormed the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing Ltd Lagos office with a bizarre story of how she was raped by one Dr Olusola, the medical director of a fertility clinic in Lagos.
She alleged that the doctor used a medical instrument called transducer on her. It was inserted inside her vagina and moved around slightly while ultrasound images were shown on screen. She alleged that she was told the method would allow the doctor have a good view of her womb to ascertain if anything was wrong.
The instrument, which has the shape of the penis, she alleged, was inserted into her vagina but she nev-er knew when the doctor withdrew the instrument and inserted his own penis inside her until he was about to ejaculate.
Said she: “He applied some cream on my vagina and inserted the instrument. When he touched my clitoris and I tried to resist, he told me to calm down, that it was a perfect process of induc-ing my hormones so that he could access my body well.
“At that point, I relaxed very well, closed my eyes and spread my legs because my focus was to find a solution.
“At a point, he removed the equipment and inserted it again but this time, it was much bigger. I be-lieve it was the way he was fondling my clitoris that got me carried away to the point that I could not tell that the stuff that was bigger inside me was actually his penis.
“It was the noise he made when he was about to ejaculate that drew my attention and I opened my eyes and lo and behold, he was actually having sex with me instead of the scan.”
The report drew the attention of the doctor who also visited The Sun Publishing Ltd head office and told his own side of the story. He said he could not understand why Mrs. Bello suddenly accused him of rape.
After several years in court, Mrs Bello confided in Saturday Sun that the effect of the case destroyed her marriage. She said: “I am yet to get justice and my husband has ended our marriage.”
Just like Mrs Bello, so many women, according to Saturday Sun findings, have experienced sexual harassment during body examination by male doctors. Most in this category are pregnant women and those who have fertility issues. Frustrated and ready to do whatever it takes to be a mother, some of these women hide these experiences from their spouses for fear that such revelations might destroy their marriage.
Some of such women who spoke with Saturday Sun under the condition that their identity will be protected lamented that they accepted the assault because no one might believe their stories.
One of such persons is 36-year-old Ifeyinwa Madu who was referred to a gynaecologist in Ibadan last year. She said she was optimistic about getting help for her fertility issues. Madu revealed that her neighbour highly recommended the doctor because her sister-in-law who had fertility issues later gave birth to twins after she was treated by the doctor.
According to Madu, who is based in Lagos, what happened in the doctor’s office left her dazed, angry and scared at the same time. She revealed that after discussing her medical history with the gynaecologist, he insisted that she had to undergo a follicle tracking session to find out if she was ovulating well.
She said: “During the follicle tracking session, this doctor went overboard by using his fingers instead of the transducer. He used his fingers in a way that seemed he was attempting to arouse me. He stimulated my clitoris. He then began the internal examination. He inserted one finger inside me and made a fist with the other fingers.”
Madu revealed that she wasn’t comfortable with his actions. She recalled that it got worse from there because even after completing the session, he did not remove his finger. He was rocking his knuckles on the outside and pushing his finger deeper and harder inside of her.
Madu said: “I yelled in pain and struggled to get up from the table. He was taken aback by my swiftness and I noticed that the zip of his trousers was open. I screamed at him and asked him what was going on and he mumbled something incoherent. He helped me up and told me to dress up, which I hurriedly did.”
The businesswoman said she told him to quickly give her the results of her test and he called in a nurse who took her outside and later gave her the results of her test. Madu stated that the experience made her wary of doctors. She added that these days, she makes sure a nurse is with any doctor examining her just to avoid such unpalatable situation again.
Still hoping to conceive, a banker simply identified as Chidinma told Saturday Sun that she was so desperate to become a mother that she believed whoever claimed to have a solution to her fertility issues.
“I was referred to a hospital at Igando area of Lagos to see a fertility specialist. My experience was so bad to the extent that the doctor started sucking my breasts. I have big breasts and he made me to believe that the reason why I am having fertility issues was because my breast was not stimulating enough eggs. You need to see how easy it was for him to deceive me to bring out my breast and hand over to him to suck.
“He told me that I should watch the way he was sucking my breast and teach my husband. It was when he got an erection and tried to push down my pants that I realised what was happening. He knelt down and begged me to help him complete the process, that he could be the only chance I have to get pregnant.
“I wept for days because I knew that it was my desperation to save my marriage that made me tolerate such act. When the nurse on duty noticed my face, she told me to ask for a nurse next time I visited,” she narrated.
He inserted his manhood
Mrs. Nancy Asuquo has been married for six years without a child. She told Saturday Sun that at almost 40, she feels she’s running out of time to have her own biological children. According to her, she’s tired of being mocked and insulted by her husband’s people who use every opportunity to remind her that they will send her packing for not giving their son a child.
Asuquo stated that she became desperate and visited different hospitals, prayer houses, herbal doctors and pastors just to have a child and make her husband and his people happy. She said three months ago, her husband’s friend referred her to a doctor and assured her that the doctor would be her last bus stop.
“I was excited and followed him to the doctor’s clinic but I got more than I bargained for. After consulting with the doctor, he asked me to bend down and remove my pants, that he wanted to examine my vagina from behind to find out the cause of my infertility. I hesitated because it didn’t sound well in my ears but he assured me that he was a professional and knew what he was doing.”
Asuquo revealed that what happened next shocked her beyond words. She said the doctor applied a gel on her clitoris first but she kept quiet because she thought it was part of the procedure he wanted to carry out on her body. She noted that even though the doctor kept assuring her that he was doing this for her own good, she was vigilant and uncomfortable.
Asuquo stated: “He was still rubbing the gel on me but sudden-ly, he brought out his penis and inserted it in my vagina. I screamed and jumped at the same time. I took my panties and adjusted my dress as I ran out of the of-fice screaming. That was the last time I saw that doctor but I didn’t tell my husband what happened to me. I was so ashamed and felt so dirty afterwards.
“And as God would have it, I am blessed with three daughters today.
“Women go through a lot all in the name of making babies. No sane woman would boldly tell her husband or friends that her doctor or even pastor slept with her.”
Another victim, Mrs. Vivian Agu claimed that her gynaecologist in a popular hospital around HRC Enugu fondled her breast when she was eight months pregnant. “I started bleeding at eight months of my pregnancy and my doc-tor sent me for a scan at the said hospital. When I got there, being my first time, I obtained a card and was sent to see a doctor before the scan. When I got to him, he asked for my name which I gave to him. The next thing, he started fondling my breast and I was just watching. At a point, he asked if I was not feel-ing horny and I told him that I did not even know that he was touch-ing my breast. He told me that I was a strong woman as so many women at that point, used to plead with him to have sex with them. I asked him why he was doing it and he told me that he needed to access the fluid that would come out of my nipples so he could write his report before I went for the scan. I did the scan and left. I felt that was the process until I became pregnant again, I was sent for an-other scan but this time around, I had it at Enugu Scan Centre and when it got to my turn, the doctor just did the scan; he never touched my breasts. I asked him why he did not touch my breasts, and he told me that it had nothing to do with the scan. It was then that I narrated my experience with the other doctor and he told me that the doctor was promiscuous.”
Another woman who preferred to remain anonymous said she was almost lured into sleeping with one herbal doctor in Lagos. The man was introduced to her as a prophet and herbal doctor. “My friend took me to his church at Epe. I was asked to fast for seven days while he gave me some herbs to cook and drink. He asked me to return on the day of my ovulation, that I would be prayed for and af-ter that sleep with my husband.
“On that day, I went there with my friend. When it was my turn to see the prophet, he asked me to re-move my pants and lie on the table. He also told me to spread my legs and close my eyes. To ensure that my eyes were closed, he used a red cloth to cover my eyes. I be-came suspicious but played along although my eyes were closed but my legs were not. I removed the blindfold as soon as someone touched my legs and said “open your legs.” I got the shock of my life when I saw the prophet’s erected penis. I screamed and pushed him aside. Instead of hid-ing his face in shame, he told me that he wanted to make me con-ceive in case my husband was unable to. I ran out of his office only for my friend who heard my voice to order me to go back into the room and comply with the prophet’s instruction. She said that it was no big deal. I left the place an-noyed and disappointed.”
Another victim, Ngozi was married for five years without having a child. Her husband was almost throwing her out her matrimonial home as a result of her childlessness. According to her, her husband was a rich businessman and provided everything she needed for her. She had two luxury cars bought in her name. One was the one her husband bought for her immediately after their wedding, and the other one, a Highlander SUV, which he gave her as a birthday gift after three years of their marriage. But according to Ngozi, her husband was becoming restless when after five years she was unable to conceive. She started going from one prayer house to the other. “One day, a friend took me to one of these white garment churches. She told me that it was in that church that God answered her prayer and she was able to conceive. But something happened. They always had vigils, but this one was specifically for women looking for the fruit of the womb. I begged my husband and he allowed me to go. What I experienced that night was unimaginable. At about 1.30am, the leader of the prayer group instructed that they put off all the lights. Before you knew what was happening, the men among them who also were alleged to be prayer warriors also started disappearing with some of the women. One came to me and asked me to follow him. I thought he was going to pray for me. When we entered one of the rooms, he started fiddling with my breasts. He told me that they help women whose husbands were impotent and couldn’t impregnate their wives. I was shocked and dumbfounded. I quickly left the room and went back to stay in the church hall where we were having prayers. I was shivering and was waiting for the day to quickly break so I would go home.”
She said when she got home, she did not have the courage to recount her ordeal to her husband. “That was the day I stopped going from one place to the other in search of fruit of the womb,” she told Saturday Sun.
Eventually, Ngozi said she started having children after seven years of her marriage. “I now have four children – three boys and a girl,” she informed.
Bunmi a civil servant claimed that she ran out of the hospital when the doctor started massaging her nipples and smiling. She said: “I was five months pregnant and had started the routine antenatal. The doctor asked me to bring out my breasts, that he wanted to confirm if I was having any type of discharge. I was not uncomfortable so I brought it out because during pregnancy, it was always heavy and sore. He started massaging my boobs and gradually moved to my nipples. Initially I was so uncomfortable but kept quiet as he fondled my breasts. I became irritated when I noticed that he was smiling and licking his tongues.
“I asked why he was smiling and he asked me if I was not feeling better by his touch. I was furious and packed me boobs and stormed out of his office. I complained to the nurse and I was much more disgusted when she told me that there was no big deal in what the man was doing. Instead, she was busy praising the man that he was one of the best in the hospital.
“I changed hospital because I couldn’t stand his sight again knowing that I was violated. I was fuming and threatening to tell my husband when one of the nurses told me to keep my mouth shut or go home and destroy my marriage. Till date, I can’t bring myself to tell my husband before he will start accusing me of enjoying the act.”
But can such victims get some justice from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the professional body for doctors? Not exactly, according to Dr Salau, vice chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Lagos State. He explained that no disciplinary action can be taken against any doctor by NMA.
“I say so because we have a regulatory body known as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria(MDCN). It is their responsibility by law to prosecute erring doctors. This is done after an internally constituted panel must have concluded their investigation and recommend sanctions.
“We in NMA do more of preventives by organising trainings, workshops and conferences. The last one that we did, the topic was one of the major issues discussed. Doctors were enlightened on how to attend to their patients to avoid such temptation.”
Also speaking, Dr Bamidele (surname withheld), who owns a private hospital in Gbagada, Lagos claimed that male doctors are also victims but they prefer to keep quiet.
“So many doctors are going through a lot in the hands of their patients. Some will enter your office and try to seduce you in a bid to get free treatment. If you refuse them, they might turn it around and accuse you. As a gynaecologist, I don’t examine patients if there is no nurse in the room.
“There was a particular case when I was much younger. The lady came for normal consultations, no need to examine her body. She told me that the reason her blood pressure was high was because she had no man in her life. I encouraged her to be patient and face her job.
“The next thing was she opened her shirt and exposed her firm boobs. I was shocked and confused. It took the grace of God for me to order her to button up and get out of my office. It is common; both married and single women do it. Some of our colleagues are facing disciplinary panel for not resisting them,” he stated.
