konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign konga Ad Campaign
ADVERTISEMENT
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Friday, July 1, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • #PandoraPapers
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Grieving journalist narrates how doctors abandoned dying son; teaching hospital launches probe

Main entrance to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

Grieving journalist narrates how doctors abandoned dying son; teaching hospital launches probe

byMijinyawa AhmedandSamuel Ogundipe
September 2, 2017
3 min read

Authorities at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, say they have launched an investigation after a seriously ill seven-year-old boy died after doctors denied him a life-saving emergency procedure for more than 18 hours.

In an unusual step, the hospital management paid a condolence visit to the boy’s family Thursday, where it announced a panel had been set up to review the troubling case.

Yusuf Abdulkareem, son of PREMIUM TIMES Maiduguri-based assistant editor, Abdulkareem Haruna, was admitted to the hospital early Monday of intestinal complications resulting from typhoid.

Mr. Haruna said his child arrived at the hospital 7a.m., yet despite his emergency situation, which included a perforated and blocked intestine, was not given any medication until 5p.m.

A planned surgery to unblock and repair the intestine was never carried out for more than 18 hours after when the boy passed away.

The hospital initially complained it would have difficulty rallying doctors for the procedure, and suggested referring the case to hospitals either in neighbouring Gombe or Plateau States.

It later confirmed it could conduct the operation. But as the situation deteriorated, the hospital suddenly announced the operation would have to be postponed to the next day, without giving reasons.

Meanwhile, doctors and nurses on duty provided no temporary measure to help the boy’s failing system, as he continued to vomit, while his condition worsened, his grieving father said.

When he slipped into crisis at about 2 a.m., gasping for breath, none of the two doctors on duty was available to help stabilise him.

A doctor, who had apparently been sleeping somewhere within the premises, only showed up nearly two hours after the boy had passed about an hour later.

“God gives and takes life, but they never gave our son the care we rushed him there to get,” Mr. Haruna said.

He said the “unprofessional conduct of the doctors and wicked attitude of some of the nurses towards our son and many other patients at the ATBUTH shouldn’t go unpunished”.

Abdukareem Haruna, PREMIUM TIMES
Abdukareem Haruna, PREMIUM TIMES

Emergency surgery

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa hospital, named after Nigeria’s first prime minister, was established in 2010 after then Bauchi state government converted its former Specialist Hospital, Bauchi, to a tertiary hospital.

Residents of Bauchi say the hospital that should serve as a referral health facility has barely improved on its services in the last seven years, lacking in basic equipment and personnel.

The hospital is dogged by allegations of medical negligence that has led to several avoidable deaths.

Mr. Haruna said he arrived the hospital on Monday at about 7a.m. after his son spent the previous night complaining of severe abdominal pains.

“I was asked to go and do scanning of his abdomen, which I did,” he narrated. “The scan showed he had infection in his stomach and that the intestine had some blockage and perforation which prevented the child from passing stool from about two days.

“Despite that finding, which ordinarily demands an urgent surgery, nothing was done on him in form giving fluid or drip to stabilise his failing veins. It was at about 5p.m. that the child I took out of the house by 7a.m. was given any form of medication,” the father said.

Mr. Haruna said the head doctor in the paediatric unit later confirmed that the child would need surgery, but said he was unsure if a surgical team could be quickly assembled due to lack of doctors. He muted the idea of referring the case to Jos Teaching Hospital or Gombe Federal Medical centre.

The family would later be told the operation would be done in the hospital.

A partially relieved Mr. Haruna said he was asked to carry out several blood tests, which he did.

But events took a more horrible turn when the head of surgery department later arrived to examine the child that evening, but saw no need to rush him for emergency surgery that he needed. Rather, the surgeon said the procedure would be delayed till the next day.

Things would get even worse.

“The nurses on duty on that night didn’t give my son his medication even when my wife pleaded that the boy was due for his next medication at 2am,” the father said.

Seven-year-old Yusuf Haruna died after an emergency surgical procedure on him was delayed for over 18 hours.
Seven-year-old Yusuf Haruna died after an emergency surgical procedure on him was delayed for over 18 hours.

When the boy later went into crisis and was gasping for breath, none of the two doctors on duty was around.

He said a rusty oxygen machine they tried to use on him failed to work. Only one of the nurses responded while the second who was the senior refused come to help.

“My son died in the hands of my wife; not the nurses, because they gave up on him as they could not do what the doctors ought to have done had they been around. The nurses could not reach them because they said they did not have the doctors’ phone numbers,” the father said.

On Thursday, the hospital management, led by Abubakar Kadas, chairman of ATBUTH medical advisory committee, visited the bereaved journalist’s family and promised an investigation. He acknowledged things had not been professionally done.

“We are sorry about what happened and we come here to assure you that we have set up an internal panel to investigate the issue for appropriate disciplinary actions,” Mr. Kadas told the family.

“We as a management of the Teaching Hospital Bauchi don’t normally do what we came here to do. But your son’s case is a special one and that is why we are here to express our sympathy,” Mr. Kadas added.

  • WhatsApp
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


CITIZEN-FM AD


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate


TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Bus driver dies in Lagos-Ibadan Expressway auto crash

Next Post

Leadership tussle rocks Ogun water producers body

Mijinyawa Ahmed

Mijinyawa Ahmed

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe

Samuel Ogundipe is a general assignment reporter at PREMIUM TIMES. At various times, he has covered the Presidency, National Assembly and Defence. Twitter: @SamuelOgundipe

More News

Airtel Africa

Airtel Africa authorises subsidiaries to make donations to political parties, candidates

July 1, 2022
A man is being tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria [PHOTO: TW: @NCDCgov]

COVID-19: Lagos leads as NCDC confirms 332 new cases

July 1, 2022
Sowore picks running mate, Haruna Magashi.

2023: Sowore picks running mate, vows to defeat Kwankwaso, Atiku, Obi in Kano

July 1, 2022
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu (center).

INEC officially extends CVR, silent on new deadline

July 1, 2022
Senator Ike Ekweremadu

Enugu govt expresses sadness over Ekweremadu’s ordeal in UK

June 30, 2022
Onitsha Port, South-east Nigeria

How Onitsha Port will generate over N23 billion in 30 years – Minister

June 30, 2022
Next Post
Leadership tussle rocks Ogun water producers body

Leadership tussle rocks Ogun water producers body

HAJJ: Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia. [Photo credit: PBS]

Airlift of Nigerian pilgrims back to Nigeria begins Thursday

Leave Comment

Search

AUN-PT Ad




Access Bank Ad







Subscribe to News via Email

Enter your email address and receive notifications of news by email.

Join 1,901,774 other subscribers.

Advertisement




netherland biz school Advert



ADVERTISEMENT

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2020 The Premium Times, Nigeria

Our website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.