Posted by By ISAAC ANUMIHE, Abuja on
Staff and management of National Hospital, Abuja are now in great shock and bewilderment over the mysterious death of a 27- year- old mother of quadruplets. The question on everybody's lips is how a woman certified clinically fit by the hospital authorities after a safe delivery of the quadruplets (all boys) and discharged accordingly, suddenly slumped and died.
Staff and management of National Hospital, Abuja are now in great shock and bewilderment over the mysterious death of a 27- year- old mother of quadruplets. The question on everybody's lips is how a woman certified clinically fit by the hospital authorities after a safe delivery of the quadruplets (all boys) and discharged accordingly, suddenly slumped and died.
Christy, who was delivered of the quadruplets on April 5, through a Caesarian operation died on April 29 having been certified fit and discharged. But few days after discharge, she developed complications and was again rushed to National Hospital where she died a day after.
The relations of Christy are alleging negligence on the part of the hospital. They said the hospital would have discovered that the woman was suffering from anaemia having gone through the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The management is, however, insisting that the woman was medically certified okey before she was discharged.
According to them, the woman had 100 per cent chance of living, wondering the sudden development of anaemia. One of the nurses told Daily Sun that Christy was healthy a day after she died. "She even took my phone and called somebody and we chatted and I left only to hear that she was dead," she said with grief on her face.
However, the unemployed 33-year-old husband, Mr. Solomon Aku, has resigned to fate and God over the death of his wife saying that he cannot pursue the case further.
"I do not suspect anything. She has died, she has died," he said with blood-red eyes. The remains of the deceased left the National Hospital on Monday May 2, 2005 for Jama'a Local Government of Kaduna State where she was laid to rest same day. Speaking on behalf of the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, the Director of Clinical Services and Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Ibrahim Wada, expressed sympathy on the death of Christy, but stated that the hospital did its best to ensure that the woman lived.
According to him, the woman was successfully delivered of quadruplets and discharged but later rushed back to the hospital as an emergency. He stated that it was not a question of negligence at all, after thorough investigations and autopsy. "I very much sympathize with the family of this woman. We pray that the Almighty will grant her soul a good place in paradise. You are well aware that we successfully delivered her of quadruplets; she got better and we sent her home and then she was rushed in as an emergency. Unfortunately, she did not recover completely. We have concluded our investigations in this matter, which includes autopsy, and I want to disabuse your mind professionally and fearing my God that it was not a question of negligence at all. That is my statement," he said in low tone.
Further probe on whether the hospital was not supposed to know at what point the woman became anaemic, the director now became apprehensive and said: "The thing is that, this is not an opportunity to dissect minor details of such a case. You must know that this is medical information and it is not proper to the deceased or the family to start going point by point the way you are trying to make it. I will rather not go into the nitty gritty of the issues that I raised.
Please mark that she left this hospital healthy. We even helped to raise funds to enable her look after her children. "An attempt to probe further met with mild opposition as he quietly pushed the tape recorder away from him to avoid recording saying, "I don't intend to make further comments on this." Christy had nursed the feeling of having more children after the quadruplets, even though she said that she prayed throughout her pregnancy period and during her labour. "I was happy when I was going to have quadruplets. But initially, I was afraid but I kept on praying to God. Even when I went into the labour room, I was still praying. I will go for more children if God keeps them alive." However, the fate of these motherless tots has become the concern of everyone that knows the Akus as they are breastfeed every two hours. To this effect the father of the babies Mr. Solomon Aku is now asking Nigerians and the government not to allow the children to die.