“The mere fact that people die avoidably in the hands of erring doctors without appropriate investigation and sanctions is why medical practice is a sham in this clime.” – Ebi Pax Harry
An aggrieved couple has taken to social media to campaign for justice over the loss of their 17-month-old daughter due to medical negligence. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ebi Pax Harry, shared an all too familiar story of events leading up to the death of their baby, Lolia, who died earlier in the year after “undergoing treatment” for weeks, at an unnamed hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Lolia had fallen ill on the night of February 28th 2016. Early the following morning, the couple made a dash for the hospital, arriving just before 7am. “We had to wait for the staff to do their devotion and morning rituals before we were attended to. At about 8.30am a doctor in the consulting room examined her and said her tonsils were clear and her blood should be taken for tests. The blood work came back after about 30mins, Lolia had Malaria+.”
Owing to doctor’s advice, their daughter was admitted. But instead of a fast recovery as they hoped for and were promised, the child’s condition deteriorated.
“On the third day, a man who said he is a paediatrics specialist saw her in the evening and after few observations concluded Lolia had MENINGITIS and ordered a change of drugs and treatment plan. Lolia had become mute and slept long hours at this time, for the next few days with a stiff neck that couldn’t be moved voluntarily.
Under strong protest and a demand for referral from my wife and I, the same doctor was called in from church to review her because no other doctor had seen her. Only nurses came to administer intravenous drugs. We got all assurances from the doctors and resident doctors that she was in perfect hands and that the treatment for meningitis takes a long time.
Long story short, we were there another week. Another doctor read her case note and ordered a change of drugs. Lolia was placed on the new drugs and became worse very rapidly. Our little girl was no more. She got excess medications her system could barely handle. All of this sadly happened without investigation by the doctors.”
Mourning the loss of their daughter, when Mr. Pax Harry and his wife demanded for Lolia’s case note and medical report to process her death certificate, they got a shocker; the report was falsified. Not only did the hospital lie about the number and manner of tests conducted, the authorities also claimed that both parents were culprits in the death of their child. As narrated by Mr. Pax Harry, part of the report read, “…against medical advice, parents discontinued intranasal oxygen from child.”
The case of Lolia is indeed sad, but not strange. Quite a number of Nigerians have lost their lives, or a loved one due to medical negligence or malpractice. The only difference here is that for once, someone is speaking up, demanding justice and accountability. This is rarely ever done as Nigerians are either ignorant of their rights in general, or are blinded by fear or religion.
Medical negligence is rife in Nigeria for a number of reasons including corruption, a deep-rooted culture of impunity resulting from a lack of accountability (Mr. Pax Harry did mention in his story that the dean of doctors, in the hospital where his daughter died, chased him out several times in his attempt to obtain a case report, asking him to do his worst), a dearth of resources and personnel, and lastly, the people (the government and its citizens).
Nigerians need to be both proactive and reactive on issues that concern their health and medical treatment. Doctors need to take responsibility for their patients, but that will never happen if the patients, or concerned parties don’t demand it. The government, on its part, needs to do more in the allocation and provision of resources in the health sector, and must ensure that these resources are adequately utilised for their earmarked purpose.
However, until everyone plays their part, medical negligence will continue to thrive in Nigeria, with few cases reported, and even fewer prosecuted. With the hashtag #JusticeforLoli campaign, Mr. and Mrs. Ebi Pax Harry are playing their part, challenging the status quo of silence over such issues and, hopefully, they will get justice in the end.
“#JusticeForLoli is a campaign to #SayNotoMedicalNegligence, and seeks to get closure for my family and several other families who have lost a loved one but can’t do anything about it …”
