Effective medical care to patients in hospitals and other health facilities is a right and vital service delivery that must be taken seriously and devoid of negligence considering that it involves human lives directly.
Stories of how physicians and other medical practitioners have out of negligence and lack of professionalism have damaged patients’ health conditions and in some cases destroyed lives are unfortunate, alarming and shouldn’t be taken as common or allowed to continue in order to safe further lives.
It is in this regard that Al-mushahid Initiative for Transparency and Accountability (AITA), a non-governmental organization exclusively dedicated by its mandate to ensure transparency and accountability in Nigerian public and private institutions towards ensuring effective service delivery is committed in an investigation of a case of homicide and medical negligence that led to the death of one David Chigozie Nwogu (infant).
David Chigozie Nwogu before his unfortunate dead
AITA expressed concern over the case allegedly committed by Maternal and Child Care Center (MCC) located at Ogombo Road Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State against late David Chigozie Nwogu (infant) as details below:
According to AITA“The petition brought to us by one Mr. Victor Nwogu. The petitioner opined that, on Friday the 23rd day of September, 2022, his son David Chigozie Nwogu (deceased) became slightly ill, manifesting the symptoms of Cough, Catarrh and Nasal Congestion.
Consequently, upon this, he personally took him to the Maternal and child Care Centre (MCC.) a Lagos State base medical facility, situate ate Ogombo Road, by Abraham Adesanya, Eti-osa Local Government Area of Lagos State for treatment.
On getting to the hospital at 2:am, on Friday the 23rd day of September, 2022, the Late David Chigozie was subjected to Medical Investigation (test) by the Doctor on duty who later placed him temporally on oxygen pipe to assist him breath well. Following the outcome, of the checks conducted, the Doctor recommended further medical test and collected the deceased samples for the purpose of the test and informed him that, his son had a minor children infection and will be briefly admitted for treatment that hopefully he will be discharged from the hospital the next day being the 24th day of September, 2022.
The doctor on duty prescribed some medications and asked him to go and purchase them from the pharmacy department within the hospital which he did, the dosage of drugs was administered on his son master David Chigozie now (deceased) at about 4:30am on Friday same day.
The Oxygen was removed as the boy was breathing very well un-assisted, the doctor on duty further informed him that his son’s oxygen level was then between (98 & 100%), following the removal of the oxygen pipe, the boy was quite energetic and able to move around and engaged in playing within the ward.
That at 9:am, same Friday when the doctor on duty came into the ward, he submitted the result of the medical test from the laboratory to him, the doctor then prescribed another set of medication and directed him to go and purchase them from the pharmacy department which he immediately complied with.
The prescribed medication was first administered by injecting the deceased at about 7:30 pm and that there was instant reaction, the deceased vomited profusely immediately and later continued his play with other kids, he slept without being able to consume any food following the vomits.
AITA said according to the deceased father Mr. Nwogu, he noticed that while the prescription of a certain drug reads 1.2g, the nurse administered 1.5g, of the particular medicine and immediately he asked the nurse and later the doctor on the reason for the disparity but they both dismissed the queries, telling him to allow them do their work.
By 7:30am on Saturday 24th September, 2022, the same nurse came over with the same medication she administered on the deceased previously that made him to vomit and on sighting the nurse with the medication, Mr. Nwogu confronted, the nurse to ask why they are still giving the deceased the same medication, the nurse responded that the doctor asked her to give the drug to the deceased.
Mr. Victor the (Petitioner) told the nurse to wait while he prepares breakfast for the deceased who was already hungry, to eat before the medication, the nurse responded by saying that he should not worry about it, that the prescribed Antibiotic which she was about to administer on the deceased can be taken without food and the deceased will eat after the medication.
The petitioner insisted that his son must be given his breakfast before the medication, the nurse went ahead to administer the medication in four different syringes in a hurry, immediately following the administration of that particular drug on him he shouted my heart and immediately became unconscious and the personnel who administered the drug hurriedly left that ward while other medical personnel in the hospital rushed to his son and asked him the petitioner to step out and excuse them from emergency ward,.
Not knowing what was going on, he went out of the ward as directed, as confused as he was then, at about 1 or2 hours later when nothing was said to him about the state of his son, he forced his way back to the ward, touched his son and discovered that he was becoming cold, could not move any part of his body and his eyes wild open.
Nobody was ready to speak to him on what was going on, the petitioner started to create scenes inside the ward so as to draw the attention of the hospital authority and it was then, the Chief Medical Officer came to inform him that his son was dead.
Following the death of his son and considering the suspicious circumstance surrounding his death, the petitioner proceeded to the nearby police state Ogombo Police Station to report the incident.
On getting to the Police station, he was told by the DPO that the hospital has already reported the death of his son and was advice to go and bury the deceased as he won’t be able to fight the Government, hence the hospital belongs to the government.
The petitioner strongly believe that it was as a result of administering an Overdose medication that led to the death of his son. He also believes that the hospital authority is trying to sweep what happened in the hospital leading to the death of his son under the carpet as they have deliberately failed, neglected and refused to release the medical record file of the decease.
Also, the petitioner believes that, there is need to begin a full scale independent investigation into the circumstances leading to and surrounding the death of his Son David Chigozie Nwogu in the best interest of Justice.
The petitioner believes that if the hospital had exercised reasonable care, acted competently and professionally, the life of the deceased would have been saved.
The nurse and doctor who administered the said drug has obviously breached the duty of care owed to the deceased. This is clear case of negligence and incompetence on the part of the two medical personnel’s in particular and the entire hospital management in general and they should be made to face the wrath of law and justice be done to the petitioner for the lost of his son master David Chigozie Nwogu.
It is against this backdrop, that AITA is committed to ensure that Justice is served and done and also to avoid this matter being swept under the carpet, as the petitioner and his family has been thrown into state of mourning over loss of their son Master David Chigozie Nwogu. More also that this case will serve as a deterrence to other medical negligence by practitioners which should no longer be tolerated.
