Mailafia’s death: Our story —UniAbuja Teaching Hospital

The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) has vindicated itself of alleged complicity in the death of a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Obadiah Mailafia.

This is just as the Northern Governors’ Forum has described his death as a great loss to the country.

The hospital said those accusing it of having hands in the death of Mailafia were not sincere, insisting that its doctors did their best to save his life.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune on Mailafia’s death and the allegations that trailing it, the acting Public Relations Officer of UATH, Michael Atiga, wondered how the hospital could be fingered for being responsible when its medical personnel did everything necessary to revive him.

According to him, the exceptional performances of medical personnel in Mailafia’s case earned them verbal accolades from the deceased’s wife, who, he noted, was around her husband throughout.

Atiga said: “The patient came in on Saturday, September 18, at about 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. “He was well received because the doctors even had a pre-information that he was coming, so he was well-received.

“Considering the nature of his illness, because from what I gathered from the doctor, as he was rushed to the hospital, his oxygen saturation was like 60 per cent, so there was a problem already. He was in a bad condition, so they had to commence treatment immediately.

“The doctors placed him on free-flow oxygen in order to increase his oxygen saturation and they started this medication immediately without asking for any money.

“The saturation, which was 60 per cent at the time they came, at a point, went to like 90 per cent. So they continued the treatment till like 10:00 p.m. of that day.

“Since they discovered that his condition demanded utmost care; they called a nurse who was even off duty to be stationed with the patient throughout the night.

“The nurse was off duty but they called him to come and stay with the patient.

“So, the doctors did all they could to salvage the situation, but you know that in health, doctors can only treat, it’s God Who saves lives,” Atiga said.

Meanwhile, while describing Mailafia’s death as a great loss to the nation and the entire northern region, the Northern Governors Forum, through its chairman, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, said, “this is a sad development, not only to his family, but to the nation, because of his enormous contributions to the socio-economic pursuits of Nigeria.”

Lalong described the late CBN deputy governor as a consummate financial expert and vibrant intellectual whose local and international reputation was highly acknowledged, having been sought and deployed for the benefit of government and private entities around the world.

While commiserating with the family, Lalong said the legacies of Dr Mailafia would continue to be celebrated as he showed passion for development, emancipation, truth, justice and equity in all his interventions at various platforms.

(Courtesy Nigerian Tribune)