Family Sues, Demands N500 Million From Nigerian Hospital For Allegedly Causing Death Of Woman....

The family of Sandra David has sued the Nigerian government and the Federal Medical Centre for N500 million over the death of the 29-year old woman at the centre due to “medical negligence”. In a suit, number FHC/ABJ/CS/74/2016, filed by Ms. David’s mother, Portia Sambo, the family is also demanding the payment of N8.2 million as cost of treatment of the deceased at the Federal Medical Centre and the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja.

Ms. David was taken to Nizamiye, a Nigerian-Turkish medical facility, after complications arising from “mismanagement of her health condition” at the Federal Medical Centre (formerly Federal Staff Hospital), Abuja.

The suit was filed against the Ministry of Health, the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Chinwe Igwilo, Obed Dads, Amadi Ikechukwu, and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation as co-defendants.

PREMIUM TIMES had on December, 31 reported several allegations by families of late Ms. David and others whose loved ones died following suspected medical mismanagement by the FMC.

According to our investigation, Ms. David had gone to the hospital for a surgery in March, expecting the process to last only a few days. But after months at the hospital, she was transferred to Nizamiye Hospital where she died on July 12.

“We all expected the treatment and recuperation to take a short period and that she would return to work very quickly”, her sister, Sophia, had recalled.

But days ran into weeks and she was still at the hospital. Rather than tell us the truth about her situation, they waited and waited for my sister to die,” Sophia had said in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

Although the hospital declined to respond to the allegations, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the regulatory body for medical institutions in the country, said it was investigating the issue of late Ms. David.