A series of harrowing cases of allegations of medical negligence, including the death of novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 21-month-old son, has ignited a fierce debate about patient safety within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Following the outcry, the health minister has admitted “systemic challenges” and announced the creation of a national task force on “clinical governance and patient safety” to improve the quality of care and patient safety.
The family of the internationally acclaimed author says her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi, died last week at a private hospital in the main city, Lagos, following a short illness.
They allege the child was denied oxygen and excessively sedated, leading to cardiac arrest.
The hospital extended its “deepest sympathies” but in a statement denied any wrongdoing, stating its treatment met international standards.
The Lagos State Government has ordered an investigation into the death, as public outrage spread over the state of healthcare in Africa’s most populous country.
Just days later, anger surged once more after the death of Aisha Umar, a mother of five who ran a business from home, selling incense and fish in the northern city of Kano.
Her family alleges a pair of surgical scissors was left inside her abdomen during an operation in September at the state-run Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, leading to four months of severe pain and her eventual death.
“For four months, they only gave her pain relievers,” her brother-in-law, Abubakar Mohammed, told the BBC.
“Scans finally showed the scissors were inside her,” he said.
The family says they plan to sue the facility for negligence.
The Kano State Hospitals Management Board said it had “suspended three personnel directly involved in the case from clinical activities with immediate effect”, and has referred the case for further investigation and disciplinary action.
“The Board reassures the public that it will not condone negligence in any form and will continue to take decisive actions to safeguard the lives, dignity, and trust of patients across all state health facilities,” a spokesman added in a statement issued on 13 January.
BBC
