A widower, Mr. Ajayi Temitope, has cried out over the recent death of his eight-month-old pregnant wife, Mrs. Esther Adeshola Ajayi, due to the alleged negligence of the doctors that handled her case before her sudden demise.
The deceased’s husband, told our correspondent that his pregnant wife had registered at the General Hospital, Oguntolu, Shomolu, in Lagos in the past eight months and was keeping regular antenatal appointments with her doctors before the circumstances surrounding her sudden death in hospital occurred.
Ajayi alleged that doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital delayed the evacuation of the dead foetus from his wife, resulting in her falling into a coma for about a week before she eventually died.
He said, “Our ordeal began on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. My pregnant wife and I were at the General Hospital, Oguntolu, Somolu, to complain about her having some discomfort in her stomach only to be given some drugs to take. After taking the drugs, she began to vomit. We went back again on January 11, only for more drugs to be prescribed.
“By Saturday 13th January, she was weak to the extent that she could barely walk; this was due to serious and incessant vomiting. She had become so weak that we had to go back to the hospital, but all along, the vomiting did not stop. She was asked to do a blood test; she did, and they claimed to have found nothing. Then she was asked to do urine test because she could not urinate and which might have been as a result of severe weakness. So, we were asked to come back the following day ( 14th January); yet again, we were given another set of drugs.
Three times, between 9th of January and 13th of January, we were there only to be given drugs, but no call for scanning. All through the five days, we kept going back and forth with my wife’s condition getting worse. By 10.30pm, we couldn’t bear it anymore and we had to take her to R. Jolad Hospital in Gbagada, Lagos.”
The young widower said that on arrival at R. Jolad Hospital, the consultant immediately recommended his wife for admission and scheduled her for a scan the following morning.
He said, “The following day, when the result of the scan was out at around 10pm, I was not around at the hospital. The R. Jolad doctor was so unprofessional and undiplomatic that he announced to my wife and mother-in-law, who had high blood pressure that the baby in her womb had already died. Bearing in mind that my wife’s medical state was precarious, I expected him to have at least checked her file and contacted her next of kin to break such a bad news. The shock of the unwholesome announcement on my wife was indescribable
We were told at the Labour Ward that the ICU Ward of LUTH was full and that they had to refer us to a private hospital. By 2am on Tuesday, 16th January, we were referred to One Life Hospital at 145 Agege Motor Road, Oshodi, where she was placed on a life-saving machine at the Intensive Care Unit
“The doctor at R.Jolad recommended that we got a second opinion scan at Clinix Diagnostic at Oshodi, which we did and it was the same news that the foetus had died. We tried to keep the second result away from my wife to avoid any breakdown. When we returned to the hospital (R.Jolad) around 3pm on Sunday, 14th January, we told the doctor to manage the information with discretion and rather tell my wife that the baby was just weak and needed to be taken out of her immediately.
“Somehow, the sad information was given to her openly by the same doctor in the labour room and my wife just had a nervous breakdown right there. From R.Jolad, we were referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, for evacuation, with a referral letter from one Dr. Jonathan Kichime of R.Jolad, stating that my wife’s blood was not clotting.”
Ajayi recounted that on getting to LUTH around 7.30pm, the doctors on duty came up with guesses about his wife having Lassa fever, based on the symptoms and especially the fact that the baby died in her womb and her blood was not clotting.
He added that the doctors kept them outside for about four hours between 7.30pm and 11.30pm.
The widower said, “During this waiting period, my wife was in the ambulance, getting weaker by the second. Eventually, she was admitted on the condition that she had to be tested for Lassa fever and that the process would take up to 24hours for the result to be out.
“From that night, Sunday 14th January, 11.30pm till around 6pm the following day, Monday 15th January, several processes were done on her just to keep her alive while we all awaited the test result. By that time, her case had worsened terribly, her body became swollen, she was already in a coma and could no longer recognise anyone around her. Her breathing had become scary as well.”
He added, “Eventually at 6pm, the result came out negative (no lassa fever) and she was immediately moved to the Labour Ward(C3) at the same LUTH. After evacuating the dead foetus, she was bleeding seriously and Blood Platelet and Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP transfusion) were bought to reduce the bleeding. At this time, my wife was on an unconscious level of around 3/15, as reported by the doctor.”
“We were told at the Labour Ward that the ICU Ward of LUTH was full and that they had to refer us to a private hospital. By 2am on Tuesday, 16th January, we were referred to One Life Hospital at 145 Agege Motor Road, Oshodi, where she was placed on a life-saving machine at the Intensive Care Unit. From 16th January, we began another series of scans, tests, consultancy, blood transfusion and other medical items. She eventually gave up the ghost on 23rd January 2018.”
The distraught widower, however, blamed the hospitals that handled his wife’s case for her sudden death.
“This is too much for me and the family. This death could have been avoided If Oguntolu Hospital had done the right thing during the antenatal. If R.Jolad had handled the bad news with discretion; if LUTH had treated her under quarantine while testing her for Lassa fever; if Nigerian hospitals do their jobs right and not take on the role of abattoirs, she would have survived,” he said.
One of the doctors, who handled the late pregnant woman and later referred her to LUTH, Dr. Jonathan Kichime, noted that it was unfortunate that she developed complications before she was brought to his hospital.
“From my assessment, I can say three things might have been the underlying cause of Mrs. Esther Ajayi’s death. It could be sepsis, what is called round negative sepsis, which could be the reason why she was vomiting and which eventually led to the baby’s death. Secondly, it may be a case of acute renal failure because her face was swollen when she got to Jolad Hospital and it was pointed out to the family members. From the history we got before she came to Jolad, she had not urinated in 24 hours; it means she had an acute renal failure,” he said.
Our correspondent also contacted the consultant who attended to the patient at LUTH while waiting for the Lassa fever test result, Dr. Folarin Opawoye, who noted that he was not in a position to speak on the matter.
“I am sorry, I cannot speak to you because nobody has instructed me to do that, and moreover, I don’t know you,” he said.
Public Relations Officer, LUTH, Mr. Kelechi Otuneme, could not be reached as at press time.
He did not pick calls made to his phone and also did not reply text messages sent to him.
