Almost two years after the death of Lagos-based pastry chef, Peju Ugboma, the coroner who oversaw her inquest has charged Premier Hospital doctors with medical negligence.
The mother of two died after suffering internal bleeding following an elective hysterectomy for a fibroid condition at a Victoria Island-based hospital in April 2021.
Until his death on April 25, he was the founder of a cake company, I Luv Desserts.
In June, the Lagos State government through the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), kill intensive care unit of the hospital, pending the results of the investigation.
Coroner’s Inquest
The coroner’s inquest which started in May 2021 has 16 witnesses, including the witness. widower, doctorpathologist and others.
After the surgery in April, he complained of abdominal pain and discomfort. His blood pressure dropped to 50/30.
He died after being referred from Premier Hospital to EverCare Specialist Hospital.
At Evercare, they discovered he had no pulse, and subsequent CPR efforts to revive him failed.
The deceased’s wife, Ijoma Ugboma, believes that she died due to negligence by doctors at the Premier Hospital who attended to her.
How he died
The coroner said that “the only logical view” is that “her death was the result of a combination of lack of diligence on the part of the doctors.”
They say failure to respond appropriately – substandard care and inadequate optimal care – lead to premature death.
He also said that other factors that led to “avoidable deaths” were the absence of essential medical devices to detect intra-abdominal bleeding, poor documentation of clinical records and failure of immediate involvement of appropriate surgeons.
The coroner said Premier Hospital owed him better medical care.
He said that in his opinion part-time doctors should not be involved.
Recommendation
The coroner recommended that the code of conduct and ethics of medical practitioners “should be rigorously reviewed to punish unscrupulous doctors.”
He said that the state government should not limit the funds to only government hospitals but should give funds to private facilities to purchase equipment.
He said government and regulatory agencies should ensure that WHO standard PCV is strictly adhered to for both sexes before the operation is carried out.
The coroner said the regulatory agency should do more sensitization on patients’ rights.
Wife, lawyer reacts to verdict
Speaking to reporters after the court hearing, the widower, Mr. Ugboma, expressed satisfaction with the verdict.
He said his lawyers would advise him on the appropriate steps to take next.
“I am very happy with the results of the investigation, this has been going on for a long time. The circumstances of my husband’s death are not satisfactory,” he said.
“I know that tonight …, my children because they actually told me to message them at school to their teachers when the decision came out.”
His lawyer, Babatunde Ogungbamila, said he got justice but the best medical services failed him.
He also said that moving forward he will enforce the verdict, seek compensation and ensure that doctors are held accountable.
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