Father of a baby, Nicole, whose brain was allegedly damaged during birth, Mr. Adebiyi Adesanya, has sued the Lagos State Government, seeking N10bn as compensation for his daughter’s condition.
The suit was filed at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, with Adesanya alleging that his one-year-and-nine-month-old daughter suffered the permanent brain injury through the negligence of government’s medical officers.
The father said his wife, Funmilola, was kept in labour between June 22 and June 23, 2011 for a Caesarean Section that ought to have been carried out immediately.
Filed on March 4, the suit has Nicole and her father as the first and second claimants, respectively.
Lagos State Government’s representatives – the Health Service Commission, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, and the Attorney-General of the state, Mr. Ade Ipaye – are the defendants.
In the suit filed through his counsel, Mr. Don Akaegbu, Adesanya claimed her daughter, delivered through a CS, “does not sit, turn, talk, walk nor show signs of development inherent in normal children”.
Nicole’s brain seizures, according to her father, started at the third month after her birth.
The father said medical tests had indicated that her daughter’s condition was caused by birth asphyxia (lack of oxygen during birth).
He narrated how his wife was kept in labour for more than 24 hours at Somolu General Hospital and later at Island Maternity, waiting for the operation.
Akaegbu said, “The second claimant (the father) avers that on getting to Island Maternity, one Dr. Adeyemo, to the consternation of the second claimant and his wife (Mrs. Adesanya), declined attending to Mrs. Adesanya – nagging and saying there was no bed space, in spite of the fact that she (Mrs. Adesanya), is an employee of Lagos State Government and was armed with a referral letter from SGH – and to the effect that the case was one of emergency.
“The CS eventually was carried out at SGH on June 23, 2011 after a further delay of about three hours on the grounds that two patients billed for CS were on ground before her.
The claimants are therefore seeking N1.5bn as compensatory damages for Nicole’s permanent injury which includes “physical and psychological harm, pain, suffering and disability”.
They sought another order “awarding N8bn as compensation for the father’s loss of the job in the course of attending to the young girl, medical expenses and life care expenses.
Among others listed to be part of life care expenses are medical expenses abroad and other connected expenses, special schools and teachers, equipment, nurses and life care coaches.
Others are costs of subsequent surgical operations and periodic medical appointments (home and abroad) for the rest of Nicole’s life.
They also seek to be awarded N500m to the family as compensation for the emotional and psychological trauma suffered, being suffered and will be suffered by the claimants’ family.
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Lagos stage Govt should act fast on this matter if they value life.Justice must not be denied too a common man and this should serve as lesson to doctors who always treat patients as dead body already.Biyi,Funmi and Nicole we MT Achivers support you
ReplyDeleteHum.. Matter of negligence shouldn't be left unattended to.
ReplyDeleteHummmm this is too common at government owned hospital...
ReplyDelete