‘Poor management, Negligence by NOFIC doctors caused my stillbirth -36yr-old woman petitions Tinubu

….accuses NOFIC security officers of beaten husband’s friend who came for rescue to coma 

By Uchenna Okeh Abakaliki

A 36 year-old woman, Zara Afolabi alongside the husband, Idris has petitioned federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and governor Francis Nwifuru, so also prominent Nigerians to seek justice for her over alleged negligence by doctors and poor management in the national obstetrics fistula centre, NOFIC, that resulted to her stillbirth.

The victim, Afolabi also narrated how the NOFIC security officers tied up like a common criminal and beat up to coma the husband’s friend, Ismali Owolabi who came to assist them look for alternative hospital, hence the doctors allegedly abandoned her while bleeding profusely.

Afolabi who spoke to newsmen in Abakaliki capital of Ebonyi State, narrated that: “we came there in the night, one doctor came and attended to me, while doing that, they came and pooled him out but while leaving, he told me to go for scan, which we did that night. And in the morning around 10:am, I asked one nurse whether the doctors will do a ward round because I’m bleeding seriously.

“The doctors are supposed to attend to me because I’m dying here. The nurse replied, “I’m a doctor now. I started begging the doctor for so long to attend to me. It got to the extent that I even begged a cleaner there to help me remove the cannula in my hand so that I can urinate because I’m seriously pressed. 

Later, after so long pleading, the doctor sluggishly told me to wait for her to come, when she eventually came, she asked me to go and do another scan, making it the second time. I asked her, why should I do another scan hence we did one in the night. She replied to me, the scan of yesterday was for yesterday’s doctor, that I must do another scan, then my husband helped me, I went and did the second scan and I was seriously bleeding.

“The painful part of it is that after doing the second scan, I didn’t see the doctor for more than 3 hours and I’m bleeding profusely. Another doctor later came and said that the scan can not be certified, that I should do another scan, making it the 3rd scan in the same NOFIC hospital.

“I had no option than to do the 3rd scan after three hours and I was bleeding profusely since yesterday, I had to call my husband, and when he came, he suggested that I take me to another hospital so that I would not bleed to death. He called his friend, Ismali Owolabi to come and help us.

“We packed our loads, and none of the staff talked to us. When we moved to the gate, one of the nurses ran and ordered the gate men to close the gate. My husband told them that his friend, Owolabi is staying back and he will be back, that he is rushing me to FETHA 2, that he will be back shortly, that he doesn’t want me to bleed to death here.

“Before you know it, the gate men started shouting and pushing us, the NOFIC hospital wants me dead, they want to kill me. Why will they be holding me from going where I will receive emergency treatment? The scan I did shows a miscarriage and the doctors didn’t do anything for me and I’m seriously bleeding. I later lost the baby and my God will judge them” she lamented.

Responding, the husband, Idris Afolabi said: “When I rushed back to NOFIC, on getting there, the gate men had dehumanized and beaten to pulp someone I called to come and help me with his car. They beat him to the point that I could not recognize him. What did he steal, it is only a thief that can be beaten to this point” he broke in tears. 

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Narrating his ordeal, Owolabi said: “I stepped out of the car and began to beg the gate men to allow Afolabi take his wife that had been bleeding to another hospital, that I will stay back and take care of the bill they may demand. As soon as the car moved, the gate men who were more than 4 started beating me like a common criminal.

“They were heating me with all kinds of objects and at a time they tired my two legs. Even the money I had with me, my phone and charger scattered. They called the police. Infact, it was the police that rescued me that day, the police equally took me to their clinic where I received some treatment” he stated.

In a swift reaction, the public relations officer, PRO, to NOFIC, Rita Nwojiji said:”The issue of negligence does not arise there, there was no negligence at all on the said patient. She has gone for an ultrasound and was on admission. She was placed on bed rest because of the threatened abortion. There was no negligence at all.

“On the beating to coma of the victim, Owolabi, she said: “It is right, especially when somebody will enter a ward and carry our patient, and begin to run away with the patient. it is right for the security man to lock the gates and brutalize the person well. Have you come to look at the security man with his own injury? She stated.