A young graduate has died a really tragic death at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, after a wrong diagnosis.
Controversy has arisen over the death of
a 29-year-old graduate of the University of Bauchi, Kolawole Idowu, at
the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
Family members of the victim said
although Kolawole died at LASUTH, they believed his condition was
worsened by doctors at the Ikeja Medical Centre, a private facility on
Allen Avenue, Ikeja.
Punch Metro gathered that Kolawole, who concluded his youth service in Lagos sometime in April, took ill a few days afterwards.
He was reported to have complained of
“teary eyes and body pains” and had gone to the Ikeja Medical Centre,
which was the family hospital. It was gathered that like other children
of the family, he was born at the hospital.
After a doctor allegedly recommended
some malaria drugs and later an eye drop, the situation was said to have
worsened, leading to his admission to the hospital.
Our correspondent was told that the hospital later said he was manifesting signs of a mental illness and began treating him for “psychosis.”
When there was no improvement, the
hospital was said to have referred him to LASUTH, where he went into a
coma and later died at the Intensive Care Unit.
The victim’s brother, Kunle, told Punch
Metro that his late brother’s medical condition was not handled properly
at the medical centre, adding that he was given some injections which
affected his health.
Kunle alleged that the injections made
him to misbehave, saying anytime the effect of the injections wore off,
he would regain his senses, run back home and beg to be taken away from
the hospital.
He explained that when he (Kunle)
observed that their maternal grandparents were adamant on keeping him
(Kolawole) at the hospital, he challenged them and broke some property
in the house, which led to his arrest and detention.
He said, “The illness started at the
end of April, about a week after his youth service. I am a politician
and I was running a campaign to become a councillor at that period. Kola
complained that he had been having burning sensations all over his body
and his eyes had been teary. I advised him to go for a lab test, but he
said he would go to our family hospital. He went to the hospital where
he was given an eye drop, which he started reacting adversely to.
“He went back to the medical centre
and he was told that he had malaria. The doctor prescribed a malaria
drug for him. However, he started reacting negatively again to the drug.
That was when the doctor said he was having fits of delirium and
showing signs of dementia.”
He explained that the doctor insisted on
admitting Kolawole, but he objected, adding that the grandparents
believed the doctor and supported the move.
On the first week of his admission,
Kunle said he was not satisfied with his brother’s treatment, but the
hospital assured him that Kolawole needed rest.
He noted that he became concerned when
Kolawole’s friends, who also visited the hospital, made similar
observations. He said he asked for the victim’s transfer to another
hospital.
