Private hospital hires LASUTH ‘consultant’ for undocumented fibroid surgery; patient dies

Fatima Isa died during a fibroid surgery performed by a man in a white overall consulting for Feloboam Alpha Clinic at Mafoluku,  Oshodi, Lagos, and her family now wants justice.

She came all the way from Auchi, Edo, for the surgery last Thursday, and was put on admission in the hospital whose owner, identified as Felix, billed the patient N190,000, according to Fatima’s sister Queen who came along with her.

“The money was in my account, so, I went to the bank, withdrew the money,” Queen explained to the Punch

“But when I returned to the hospital around 1.35pm, they had already taken my sister to the theatre to perform the surgery despite not signing any form.

After four hours and no information, Queen called one of the nurses to ask after Isa.

“They are cleaning her up,” the nurse said. “And she’s OK.”

The surgeon, Lawrence, came out around 5 pm, ad Queen again asked after her sister. Queen got a also confirmed she-is-fine response.

“Later, they brought my sister out. She was breathing abnormally. I quickly alerted the doctor and nurses and the person assisting the doctor came and started hitting my sister’s laps.

“My sister shook her head, and the assistant doctor said she was OK,” Queen said.

“But as he stepped out, she started breathing heavily and all of sudden, she stopped breathing and that was how she died.

Felix then called the consultant Lawrence, and announced the death—from cardiac arrest.

“I quickly called the doctors and nurses again. When they rushed in, they said I should go out, but I refused. I started shouting and crying. I called one of my sisters, Kate, and she came around 8pm. We both slept where Fatima’s corpse was dumped in the hospital.

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By now no fewer than three of Queen’s relatives, including Momoh, were in the theatre crying and asking for an answer.

The doctors and nurses just abandoned there.

Momoh already confirmed that the doctor who performed the surgery was an impostor.

And the hospital, Queen noted, was not like one.

“The whole place was worse than an abattoir,” she said.

“We asked the doctor what happened and he told me that after the surgery, she developed cardiac arrest and died.

“I asked the cause of the cardiac arrest, but the doctor was just speaking like an illiterate and could not even make a complete sentence, and he is running a hospital in Lagos State of all places.

“We asked for her file and they brought out a paper, but there was nothing in the file to indicate that a test was carried out before the surgery.

“We asked who performed the surgery and we were told one Lawrence, and that he works with LASUTH.

They called gynecologist Lawrence, but he did not take their calls. But he issued and signed the death certificate, where he was.

“We got the death certificate signed by Lawrence, and reported at a police station in Mafoluku because we want justice.”

The state police command’s PRO Benjamin Hundeyin, said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the death of the businesswoman.

“Two people, including the nurse that did the operation, have been arrested. They have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”

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