Brother Accuse General Hospital Doctors Of Killing Only Sister And Baby

                                                                 Late Folashade Ogunbiyi
This story will break your heart.  But then some of us read about this a lot and
it has suddenly become a norm. Doctors at Orile Agege general hospital have
been accused by a brother of an expectant mother who died at the hospital with
her new born. According to the man, when his only sister, Folashade Ogunbiyi was
rushed to the hospital after she complained about abdominal pain, the doctors
told them the baby in her womb was dead and they urgently needed to operate on her.

After the requirements were met, the doctors operated her
and dumped the baby at another side for several hours believing he was dead,
before a nurse found out he was breathing. But then, the deed had been done,
the baby’s health had deteriorated and later died because he was exposed to
cold at that early stage. Doctors at LASUTH confirmed this to the family when
the baby was rushed there for proper medical attention. Continue below and also
read how his mother died.

Two months after her wedding, Folasade Ogunbiyi’s hope of
savouring enduring marital bliss and safe motherhood assumed a fatal twist on
March 16, 2014 when she died shortly after a controversial childbirth at the
Orile Agege General Hospital (OAGH), Lagos State.

It all began on March 14, when the late 26-year-old Folasade
, according to her elder sister, Esther Babalola, complained of abdominal pain
and was rushed to the hospital for proper treatment. Upon medical examination,
doctors allegedly said that she was carrying a dead baby in her womb and that
there was need for a Caesarian Section to remove the baby. She was, however,
said to have been abandoned by doctors for over 24 hours before she was
attended to.

“Her husband had travelled out of town on March 14 when she
complained of abdominal pain. I noticed that she was probably due for delivery
and we decided to take her to a private hospital in the neighbourhood. But
doctors at the hospital said she would need to undergo Caesarian operation to
be delivered of the baby.

“It was at this juncture that we decided to rush her to
Orile Agege General Hospital where she registered for ante-natal. Doctors at
the hospital, however, told us that she was carrying a dead baby in her womb,
adding that there was need for Caesarian Section to remove the dead baby.”

Painting the circumstances leading to the death of Folasade
and her son, Babalola said: “On March 15, we were asked to get some drugs and
while I had gone to fetch the drugs, she was safely delivered of a baby boy
through Caesarian Section. The doctors did not even know that the baby was
alive until one of the nurses noticed that he was breathing at a corner where
he was abandoned for hours. The baby developed complications a few hours later
and was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja
where doctors confirmed him dead as a result of long exposure to cold.

“The baby was not attended to on time and I was told by a
health worker who spoke in confidence that she was the one that notified the
doctors that the baby was alive. The doctors had dumped the baby and did not
attend to him until they were told that he was alive. The baby was not covered
with clothes to keep him warm which resulted in a lot of complications.

“They asked us to pay for several tests run on the baby when
his health deteriorated. We were later referred to LASUTH where doctors told us
that his case was badly managed at Orile Agege General Hospital following undue
exposure to cold and that the exposure had led to his death shortly before we
arrived at the hospital.”

Speaking further on events leading to the death of his only
sibling, Babalola said: “My sister’s lips suddenly swelled up and turned
yellowish and we called the attention of the doctors on duty to the
development. The swollen lips later subsided after she was treated, but she
died shortly after on March 16. A doctor at LASUTH, who did not want her name
mentioned, told me that my sister must have reacted to a particular drug called
ROCEPHINE that was administered on her. She said the drug was mostly used on
patients who suffer from cancer, or people suffering from excessive pains.

“The doctor asked me if she complained of excruciating pain
and I said no. She also said that even if she was going through pains, the drug
should have been given to her in small doses. And I concurred because that same
drug was among the list of drugs prescribed and administered on her at the
hospital.

“We were asked to defray all the bills incurred before they
could release her body to us for burial and we complied. We were shocked when
the hospital insisted on carrying out a postmortem on her body which the family
had earlier opposed. Although, we have since buried her but all we want on this
matter is justice.

“Folasade was the only sister I had. She had a traditional
marriage ceremony on December 26, 2013. She was a very hardworking person. Her
death is a big loss to our family and that is why I have been mandated to
express the position of the family on the complicity of doctors at the hospital
which eventually led to the loss of Folasade.”

When our correspondent visited the hospital, the Chief
Medical Director (CMD), Dr. (Mrs) Iyabo Tijani, declined comments on the
grounds that she was not competent to speak on the matter. “I cannot say
anything on the matter because I am not officially competent to speak on this
incident. The Ministry of Health is the only place you can get comments on this
issue, please go there.”

Fruitless efforts were also made by our correspondent to
seek the comment of the spokesman of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mr.
Tunbosun, as he did not pick his calls or reply a text message sent to his
phone line.