The family of Mrs Catherine Nwagu has dragged a popular Hospital, Niger Foundation Hospital to court for alleged negligence which resulted in the death of their mother, Catherine.
Nwagu family, from Ozalla in Nkanu West local government area of Enugu state, is claiming the sum of N1billion as damages as well as suspension of practicing licence of medical personnel that attended to their deceased mother, Mrs. Nwagu. The lawsuit which is before Justice R. N. Onuora of Enugu High Court three, has been adjourned to March 9, 2017 for hearing.
The family has equally petitioned the Nigeria Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) alleging professional malfeasance and unethical conduct of Niger Foundation hospital staff as responsible for the untimely death of their mother.
Mrs Nwagu, 72, reportedly died at the hospital on October 19, 2015, about 11 days after she was brought to the place over stroke related issues.
In the petition dated January 4, 2017 to the Council, in which they demanded an unbiased investigation of the alleged unprofessional conduct and official malfeasance that led to the death of their mother, they also asked for the revocation of operational license of the hospital as well as the medical practicing licenses of three of its staff over the gross negligence if proven guilty.
The family said the petition was a follow up to the complaints it made to the Council over the development in December last year, adding that despite the acknowledgments, nothing had been heard since then concerning the matter.
Efforts to get the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Joe Machiberena to speak on the development Wednesday proved abortive. But an official of the institution, who did not want her name mentioned said the hospital was aware of the petition.
She added: “I thought they had asked the Enugu High Court to adjudicate on the matter before now? I really don’t know what else to tell you about it”.
Also contacted, Secretary, Medical and Dental Practitioners, Dr E.D Abdu, said that he was not “at liberty to discuss cases of persons under investigation”, explaining that such disclosure could only be made at the conclusion of findings.
According to the petition signed by their counsel, Okey Okoh, the family had alleged administration of wrong prescription and nonchalance in the discharge of their duties, stressing that their mother could have survived if not for the attitude of the staff.
They accused the hospital of disregarding their earlier warning that their late mother could fall off from the over 3-feet high bed without rails where she was placed in an unconscious state, stressing that she actually fell from the bed around 4am on October 18, 2015 landing on her head which led to a large swelling on her fore head and bruises on her lips.
“The bleeding, large swelling on her fore head and the bruises on her lips were all as a result of criminal negligence on the part of hospital staff and management, because on inquiry on what happened from their Cousin that was looking after her, they were told she fell from her bed less than 10 days after they deposited over N200,000, believing that they had left their mother under the care of a hospital that holds itself out as a Specialist and reputable hospital. They complained severally that there was need for a rail on the bed and despite assurances from the hospital staff, the rail was never provided until the day she fell from it”, they said.
The family insisted that even when they complained to the Doctors on the need to conduct X-ray on her or CT scan to determine if the fall caused any internal bleeding and the assurance from them that it would be done, the hospital did nothing until their mother bled to death the next day.
“The shocking part of this whole incident was that on their way to the morgue, they noticed that blood was dripping from the deceased’s ears, nostrils and her mouth. This was clear evidence of the negligence and nonchalant attitude of the hospital staff”, they said.
The family further told the Council: “We demand that you tell us our position in a matter that we reported to you since December 2015, or is it taking the dimension of the Nigerian factor? Justice delayed is justice denied especially as we are rightly informed that the Niger Foundation Hospital is boasting that nothing will come out of the petition because they are on top of the matter”.
