Tragic death of Adichie's young son highlights poor state of Nigeria's health sector

Tragic death of Adichie's young son highlights poor state of Nigeria's health sector 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 and systemic failures within Nigeria's healthcare system. Popular author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie alleges her toddler was denied oxygen and excessively sedated, leading to cardiac arrest 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. These high-profile cases have given voice to widespread grievances that often go unheard. Lagos-based products manager Josephine Obi, 29, recounted how her father died in 2021 at the state-run Lagos University Teaching Hospital after what she says was a surgical error during a routine procedure for a goitre - a lump or swelling at the front of the neck caused by a swollen thyroid. "They cut a major artery... it was a very minor surgery," Obi told the BBC. She said a supervising doctor apologised, admitting a mistake had been made. The family chose not to sue to avoid a potentially costly and protracted legal battle. "You will just waste money and the case will linger... we just let it go," Obi said. The BBC sent an email to the hospital seeking comment, but has not yet received a response. The BBC also phoned the numbers listed on the hospital's website, but they failed to go through. In Kano, prison facility officer...

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