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Nurse accuses Lagos hospital of negligence over wife, son’s death
R Jolad Hospital, Agege, a private hospital in Lagos State, has been accused by certified nurse anaesthetist Prince Ovwiomodiowho of carelessness and inadequate care, which allegedly resulted in the death of his wife Loveth and unborn son, previously called Jason.
The guy claims that although his late wife began antenatal care at the hospital in 2023, she allegedly bled to death on March 8, 2024, not long after having a caesarean section.
The sudden death of Ovwiomodiowho's wife and child was attributed, according to him, to the absence of a skilled surgical team and equipment.
He expressed regret because extended induction procedures caused his late wife's uterus to burst, resulting in severe haemorrhage.
"I have been in despair, unimaginable trauma, prolonged pain and unending sorrow since March 8, 2024, following the gruesome murder of my precious wife Loveth and innocent son, Jason," Ovwiomodiowho stated, recounting the horrific events that transpired during his wife's hospitalisation at the private hospital.
"From the beginning of the pregnancy, my wife was their patient; she had no prior medical or surgical experience. Prior to birth, her packed cell volume was 39%, and all of her lab, vital, and scan results were normal.
Marcus, the attending physician, recommended the induction starting at midnight and stated that there was no obvious reason for a C-section. I protested about the midnight induction, but he maintained that it was hospital policy.
Under the supervision of his junior physicians and midwife, Marcus started Misoprostol induction twice. They said that the Misoprostol induction failed and that my wife was not getting pregnant. They also said that her cervix was torn open for an oxytocin induction, which they had already started.
"Her uterus was hyperstimulated until it burst (she had a ruptured uterus) and started active silent bleeding after 10 hours of aggressive prolonged induction with cervical dilatation only reaching 6cm."
Ovwiomodio, the husband of the patient, stated that the hospital had denied knowing that his wife was bleeding until she passed out, began to gasp for oxygen, began to foam at the lips, and eventually lost consciousness.
He continued, "The hospital claimed they were unaware of my wife's bleeding until she fainted and began gasping for air, having dangerously low blood pressure and seriously compromised vital signs.
Once again, the hospital lacked a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, and a paediatrician (a surgical team) to perform the necessary active resuscitation, urgent caesarian section, and exploratory laparotomy.
Major surgical and resuscitation tools were not accessible. There was no laryngoscope, no fictitious ventilator, and no dependable oxygen system. During the procedure, she was left to breathe on her own using an endotracheal tube.
"Throughout the surgery, there was no electricity. They occasionally used the torch on their phones to perform surgery. She was bleeding from many bleeders because the surgical team's failure was so egregious that haemostasis could not be secured. Eventually, my wife and kid bled to death, and even though different colloids were infused, the theatre floor was covered in a river of blood. Imagine the terror of the scene leaving you.
"My wife had a massive uterine haemorrhage and a ruptured uterus, according to her death certificate."
He further asserted that he had failed in his attempts to retrieve his late wife's uterus, which had been removed during the procedure.
"The hospital has repeatedly refused to provide me with the specimen from the surgery that removed my wife's uterus (womb). It's unclear to me if they want to sell it or if they are purposefully attempting to obfuscate the autopsy results.
"I have also been denied access to the placenta by the hospital." All that was turned over was the corpses of my kid and wife.
"I am awaiting the responses from the Commissioner of Health, Permanent Secretary in Lagos, and the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency regarding the incident," he stated.
The infuriated nurse said that the death of his wife and kid was avoidable and needless, calling it "a deliberate act of reckless manslaughter."
“How can an obstetrician and gynaecologist be in another facility and still be determined to induce my wife under his staff’s supervision from 12 am to 10 am until her uterus gives way?” he bemoaned. Without an O&G consultant on hand to examine it, it burst.
"The physician caused tremendous, torrential bleeding, and he and his staff insisted they had no idea why their patient, my wife, was bleeding and going into hypovolaemic shock.
"It took more than three hours for the intensivist to begin caring for her, and more than two hours for the obstetrician and gynaecologist to start performing surgery; the paediatrician never showed up."
"The team on the ground was in deep confusion and panic, so I was forced to start active resuscitation on my wife during this unbearable waiting time for the surgeon to show up," he continued.
The woman and child died tragically as a result of the incredibly inept surgical team they finally assembled, who were unable to stop the bleeding even after receiving colloids and crystalloids.
The nurse further charged that the hospital administration had subjected him to a variety of cruel treatment and threats, which had increased his suffering and loss.
"In my relentless pursuit of justice, I have encountered intimidation and frustration simply because the hospital has observed that I am low on funds," he bemoaned.
The bereaved father stated he did not know how to respond to his daughter, who had been pleading for her mother, at the age of four.
He added, tears streaming down his cheeks, "She has been asking for her mum and I still don't know what to tell her."
Hospital blames husband for wife's death but denies any fault.
The R Jolad Hospital's administration refuted claims of negligence and involvement in the woman's death when approached.
In order to rescue Ovwiomodiowho's wife and son, the hospital insisted that all medically required measures be used.
Our correspondent was informed by Dr. Funsho Oladipo, the Managing Director, during a virtual meeting on April 26, 2024, that standard protocols and procedures required for care during labour were provided. The meeting was attended by the hospital's Medical Director, Abiola Fashina; Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Soji Osunsedo; and the Marketing and Brand Communications Manager, Ifeoluwapo Ilesanmi.
Despite acknowledging that the wife lost a significant amount of blood during birth, he pointed the finger of responsibility for the tragic death to Ovwiomodiowho's religious conviction against blood transfusion, despite the fact that the woman did not receive blood after the procedure.
"Between you and I, we know that one significant thing that can happen during childbirth and send everyone into a panic state, but which can still be treated, is blood loss," he said in his explanation. Additionally, you must restore lost blood when it occurs, particularly if it is significant. Nothing can take the place of blood.
"However, since Prince and his family are Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious sect that forbids blood transfusions, we had been strictly instructed against receiving blood transfusions.
"And everyone knows, including you and me, that there is nothing anyone can do if a significant amount of blood is lost without replenishment.
Therefore, the issue of not having enough personnel to care for the wife's possessions is not true.
The hospital has a well-trained staff, including consultant gynaecologists and other experts. We have always given care to the best of our ability and best practices, thus it is very regrettable that this occurred.
"And during the time we've been operating the hospital, such a situation has never occurred.
"By meeting the needs of everyone, rich and poor, the hospital brings happiness to many homes."
Oladipo responded, "I have just told you the main reason why this loss occurred," when asked if the hospital utilised torches during surgery. It's almost as if taking Panadol will cure your headache; if you refuse to take Panadol, the headache would persist. It's unfortunate and quite basic.
The hospital's managing director addressed the claims that the placenta and ruptured uterus were not released by the hospital, saying, "If the corpse was alleged to have been kept by us, then we agreed that the uterus and the placenta were also with us."
They refused to accept the corpse that night, so you can imagine how horrible it was. We had to carefully tie the placenta and uterus together. To take the corpse, they arrived so many hours after the tragedy. We delivered them the placenta, the removed uterus, and the corpse wrapped in all of that.