Absence of doctors in federal hospital caused death of my grandchild

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has narrated how absence of doctors and nurses from duty at a federal hospital caused the death of his first grandchild in 2019.

Mr Akpabio said his grandchild died after bleeding for several hours because there were no doctors and nurses on duty at the hospital.

The senate president narrated the experience on Friday when members of the upper chamber were screening the ministerial nominee from Lagos State, Tunji Alausa.

Mr Akpabio did not mention the name of the federal medical center where his first grandchild died but he said the little boy died after losing over 60 per cent of blood while on admission at the hospital.

He stressed that all efforts to revive the boy with a defibrillator were unsuccessful because the hospital had not used the equipment for years.

“Just like every other person here, I have been a victim of medical neglect. I lost my first grandchild in 2019, in a federal medical center. He died through bleeding.

“He was placed on a drip that ran into the night. There was no help, no doctor, no nurse and he bled until he lost over 60 per cent of his blood.

“They went to go and bring a defibrillator to attempt to revive the heart, but it did not work. I said for how long, they said it stopped working eight years ago.

ALSO READ: Striking Nigerian doctors reject 25% salary increase, N25,000 allowance, say strike continues

“I used my hand and struggled with my physician, I could not revive him. I had to close his eyes and put him in the mortuary, and then I proceeded to Port Harcourt for our party’s rally,” Mr Akpabio narrated.

Gunshot victims

Mr Alausa while responding to a question on hospitals treating gunshot victims maintained that, professionally, hospitals do not need a police report before saving lives from a gunshot victim.

“You don’t need a police report to treat a trauma patient. This should be communicated to the Inspector General of Police. The health care providers are scared to treat people with gunshot injury thinking that the police will go and prosecute them. They are afraid that they could be accused of treating a suspected armed robber.

“I think somebody with a gunshot injury should be allowed to live to tell his or her story. He should be rescued and treated first. He could be prosecuted later. Health caregiver should do their best to save the lives of all trauma patients.”