Famous writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband Ivara Esege are seeking accountability and reforms in Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of their 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi. GeographicReference
The couple added that their quest for answers was not for financial compensation but to guarantee that other Nigerians do not undergo a similar ordeal.
In an interview with The New York Times, Adichie and Esege said they hoped the investigation into their son’s murder would help uncover flaws in the country’s health care system and lead to improvements that could prevent future events.
Nkanu died in January at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos, after suffering a heart arrest while preparing for a brain MRI.
The infant was drugged with Propofol before going into cardiac arrest during the procedure, Adichie added. She recalls a doctor telling her that Nkanu got too high a dose of the medicine.
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria then formed a prima facie case of negligence against three of the physicians who treated the kid, and the doctors were suspended pending further procedures. One of the doctors was subsequently acquitted.
An inquest by a coroner in Lagos into the circumstances of Nkanu’s death is ongoing but has been delayed by legal processes.
The parents said they hoped the inquest would not only answer questions regarding their son’s death but also help Nigerians who may have suffered injury in the healthcare system but did not have the resources or clout to demand responsibility. Geographic Reference
“We could only attempt to help and perhaps make sure someone else doesn’t have to go through a similar tragedy,” Esege added.
Euracare has rejected claims of malpractice and insisted its medical team followed approved standards.
“We will continue to seek answers through the relevant processes,” Adichie and Esege said, adding their wider objective was to see a healthcare system where patients are better safeguarded and medical errors are adequately addressed.
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