January 12, (THEWILL) — One of the issues associated with the rapidly declining quality of healthcare delivery in Nigeria is medical negligence. Although it is least talked about, newspapers and the social media reports sometimes provide evidence of harms incurred by patients as a result of the negligent care provided by medical practitioners.
Research has shown that a significant proportion of Nigerian patients feel that medical practitioners in Nigeria are arrogant and careless about their conditions and plights. Also, in a survey, a far from negligible percentage of patients indicated that their doctor’s treatment had caused them extra injury beyond the ones that took them to the hospital.
In spite of this, the number of cases of medical negligence recorded or filed as lawsuits are very few. For reasons best known to them, victims prefer to let matters lie than to openly confront the negligent medical practitioner or institution. But this is not likely to continue for long.
In a latest development, the family of renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has accused a Lagos hospital of negligence over the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.
The child died last Wednesday at Euracare Hospital following a brief illness. The family allege his death was due to a string of failures at the hospital, including being denied oxygen and given too much sedation, thereby causing a heart attack.
Adichie’s sister-in-law, Dr Anthea Nwandu, made a series of allegations about the hospital in an interview with Arise TV on Saturday.
She said the medical director of Euracare had told Adichie her son “had received too much sedation”, which subsequently caused him to have a heart attack.
Dr Nwandu also accused medical staff of leaving the child unattended, denying him oxygen and transporting him in a manner that was “not according to standard practice”.
She alleged Nkanu suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen.
Responding to the allegations, Euracare Hospital acknowledged the “profound and unimaginable loss” the family was experiencing, but said in a statement on Saturday that “reports currently being circulated contain inaccuracies”.
The Management of the hospital, we gather, has gone on to institute a detailed investigation of the matter, just as the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ordered a full investigation on the same issue.
Adichie son’s demise might signal a first attempt to openly confront the issue of medical negligence in Nigeria, but we are expecting more cases. Perhaps, the development may eventually compel the current Federal Government to pay attention to the country’s dying healthcare system.
As for the matter at hand, we agree that a satisfactory conclusion can only be achieved through a detailed and transparent investigation. We are watching.
