Doctors
at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH) Idi-Araba, Lagos have
been accused of causing the death of Ngozi Udebu, a 46 years old
married woman and teacher at St. Finbarrs college Yaba on March 28th.
Speaking to the Nation, husband of the deceased who is an estate
developer, Ausbet Udebu, said professional misconduct by the doctor's
led to the death of his wife on Easter Monday. According to him, the
physician diagnosed and treated his late wife of ulcer but the autopsy
showed that she died of Asphyxia which is the loss of consciousness due
to the body’s inability to deliver oxygen to its tissues.
READ MORE AFTER THE CUT.....................................
Narrating how his wife got to LUTH,
56 years old Ausbet said himself and his family members had gone to St.
Dominic’s Catholic Church in Yaba, Lagos to celebrate Good Friday mass
and when they returned, his daughter called him that their mother had
severe stomach pain.
“We rushed her to LUTH around 9pm
with my wife writhing in pains. She underwent some tests/scan and the
results were ready before 7am the following day.”
He said he took the results to the doctors and was asked to wait until they were ready for ward rounds.
Narrating further, Ausbet said“After
about 90 minutes, a doctor finally turned up, checked her and said the
scan revealed some trace of ulcer. The doctor prescribed Gascol and an
injection which were not available at LUTH. I bought the prescribed
drugs. Still, there was no relief. The doctor then prescribed another
brand of injection called IV NEXIUM. Again, I bought it.”
He alleged that the emergency unit
where his wife and mother of his four children was kept had no light,
fan and good ventilation. According to him, he had to use his phone
flashlight to assist the doctor in finding his wife’s vein, adding that
he fanned her because she was sweating profusely and had difficulty
breathing because of the stuffy room.
“My wife was moved to the female
ward later where I was told that no patient relation was allowed to
stay. Even her younger sister volunteered to stay and help her out in
case of any need but the nurses refused, saying it was against the
hospital’s policy. During this time, my wife’s condition deteriorated to
the extent of needing oxygen. I bought an oxygen mask to help her
breathe. In her weak state, my wife pleaded with the nurses to permit me
or her younger sister to be with her through the night, but her plea
was equally turned down. ‘Daddy, don’t go’ was the last words I heard
her say. I felt dejected as I was forced out of the ward around 11pm.”
Udebu said he got to the hospital the following day around 6am with his eldest daughter, only to be told of his wife's passing.
“The curtain over her bed was
already drawn. Immediately I suspected something eerie. I did not want
to believe my wife and mother of my four children was no more. I was
told my wife died in the early hours of that morning. Nobody contacted
the family when she passed on. Everything about LUTH is wrong. A ward
with more than 35 patients with only two nurses available to attend to
them. It was later I learnt any patient who registered in any of the
doctors’ private clinics will have an army of doctors attending to
him/her because he/she has paid in the doctor’s private clinic.”
A relative of the deceased, Quincy
Opara, who also spoke on the incident said "The doctor concluded that
her death was caused by ulcer even before an autopsy was carried out.
The result of the autopsy came out, to the surprise of everybody, it
stated that she died of asphyxia. What is the relationship between
asphyxia and ulcer which was the doctor’s ‘diagnosis’? This is shameful
and above all disgraceful for Nigeria’s prime health institution. The
nurse on duty when confronted that they may not have known when she
passed on said that she passed on at 3am. She claimed that they battled
to save her life.”
When contacted, spokesperson of the
hospital, Kelechi Otuneme said he was aware of the incident but however
cannot speak on it.
“I cannot say anything; management is looking into the matter”, he said.
Meanwhile the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at a morgue in Delta state.
Source: The Nation
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