Former Governor of Old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, yesterday narrated how his son, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo jnr died following the alleged negligence of a doctor.
Nwobodo said his son was treated at the Anderson Medical Cancer Centre in Houston, Texas, United States but rather than stay longer in the U.S. returned to Nigeria because he was feeling homesick.
The former governor said his son developed pains in the legs and was taken to a consultant oncologist at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.
However, rather than take his son to the UNTH, which had facilities for emergency, the medical consultant referred him to his private clinic.
According to Nwobodo, the injection administered on his son led to complications and finally resulted in his death.
The bereaved father made this startling revelation yesterday when Governor of Abia State, Mr. Theodore Orji paid him a condolence visit in Enugu.
Nwobodo said the doctor tried to rush his son to Niger Foundation Hospital, but he died on the way.
He said: “My son was ill for five months before I knew about it and we were planning to go to India before we took him to the U.S. He was given a visa for two years because the cancer was at stage four, but they treated him.
“When he came back, his leg started to swell and he thought he should see a doctor and I advised him to see the best oncologist. It took us three weeks to see the doctor.
“Ön Friday – I was speaking with him three times a day – and he was to see the doctor by 5pm and between 5:30 and 6pm, I called him and he said he was with the doctor, I requested to speak with the doctor but he said he was busy but instead of the doctor taking him to UNTH, he took him to his private clinic, where he had no equipment, no facility at all. I called him again and when I didn’t hear from him I sent him text and I asked the doctor to tell me why he gave my son injection that made him unconscious, he said he was sorry and that he was trying to resuscitate him.
“I spoke with him by 6:30pm and by 7 pm he was dead.
“It is painful because this is something that would have been averted and I can’t understand why a dean of Department of Medicine should leave the hospital where he has all the equipment to go to his private clinic and I believe that is how some other people die”.
SMH!!! Is because the deceased parents are influential that why this news is making headline. I wonder how many innocent people that has gone down the drain from this act of stupidity! Investigation has to be carried out to stop this nonsense.
The Doc should pay for it bcos he is qualified and knows the ethics of his profession.Human’s re not animal therefore need carefulness
I read medicine at the college of medicine, UNN and from the much I know abt the history of my alma mater, We’ve never had an oncologist as a dean! Someone is obviously confusing identities!
I think the problem with our health sector is bigger than we anticipate it…..how do you expect a country with one of the highest rate of corruption not to have a body that investigate dubious acts like dis……when was d last time anybody heard anything like malpractice suit in Nigeria……dis isn’t the first neither will it be the last form of malpractice in our health sector…..its funny enough that the affected person(s) who happens to be influential (I grieve with d family honestly) didn’t take his/her(their) son for medical care outside nigeria( as dats d norm)now he knows what we the poor masses are going tru….when he was the governor,wat was his contribution to the health sector(that’s by d way)…..how I wish dis happening will send a message to top/influential people including our leaders to put in place methods to fight corruption in the health sector and also to fund our health sector properly…..because it may happen to anyone of them when flying out of the country is medical not advisable at that moment…I also pray that it doesn’t send a negative massage to the public on how incompetent our doctors are,because honestly in as much as we have bad leaders (eg abia state governor) and good leaders(imo state governor) we also have very GOOD DOCTORS…..have a nice day my follow country men