Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The management of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja has denied involvement in the disappearance of a 12-year-old Adebola Akin-Bright’s small intestine during treatment.
LASUTH in a statement made available to PUNCH Healthwise on Saturday, by its spokesperson, Gbenga Davies, said the hospital did not willfully remove any organ or structure from Akin-Bright’s body while performing a corrective surgery on him.
Recalled that Akin-Bright’s mother, Deborah Abiodun had accused the management of LASUTH of alleged negligence, which reportedly led to the disappearance of her 12-year-old son’s small intestine during treatment.
Abiodun said her ordeal began when surgeons at LASUTH informed her of their following a corrective surgery on July 14, 2023.
According to the woman, her son was referred to LASUTH from a private hospital, Obitoks Medical Centre, located at Ile-epo, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on June 17, after complications from surgery to correct intestinal obstruction.
However, LASUTH management, in the statement explained that Akin-Bright already had two surgeries before being referred to the hospital for a corrective surgery.
The LASUTH management maintained that the hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and has highly knowledgeable, skilled, professional medical consultants who would never make such medical errors.
The statement read, “Once again, the hospital management needs to clarify issues on the insinuations being made by a mother in a viral video that the alleged loss of her son’s intestines after surgery is a matter between a private hospital and LASUTH. Our hospital is an excellent tertiary institution with highly knowledgeable and skilled medical consultants.
“We are also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. The patient in question was referred to our hospital after having two surgeries carried out in a private hospital.”
The management also noted that besides the surgery being carried out by an experienced paediatric surgeon and supported by her team of professionals, video clips of the surgery were available for further clarification and avoidance of doubts.
“He required extensive optimisation in our facility before a corrective surgery could be carried out. At the surgery, which was carried out by an experienced paediatric surgeon and her team certain strange findings were discovered. There is a video clip of these intraoperative findings. The mother was informed about these findings but she appeared to be in denial.
“The hospital is in possession of a comprehensive report of the findings by a high-powered panel that it quickly set up to look into all ramifications of this case.
“Clearly, our hospital carried out a corrective surgery and did not willfully remove any organ or structure. We empathise with the family of the patient. We believe that financial assistance from any quarters will be in order but we do not think that a blackmail of the state government via social media is the best approach.
“The hospital management is cooperating with the state agency which is already investigating this rather unfortunate case,” LASUTH stated.
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