By Abdallah el-Kurebe
ASHENEWS reports that the chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly ad-hoc committee, Noheem Adams mandated to investigate the circumstances that led to the disappearance of Adebola Akin-Bright’s small intestine, has revealed that the doctor who performed surgery twice on the boy is not a qualified surgeon.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, in a statement by his media assistant to the Speaker of the Assembly, Eromosele Ebhomele, emailed to ASHENEWS on Friday, directed the Clerk, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, to write to the state police command for the arrest of Dr. Abayomi Baiyewu of Obitoks Hospital in the Alimosho area of Lagos.
The committee chairman said during investigation, Dr. Baiyewu confirmed that he is not a surgeon but only relied on his experience as a medical doctor.
He also said Baiyewu, whose testimonies were recorded, told the committee that he did not carry out any medical examination on the boy before the first surgery, which he did himself.
According to him, he only relied on the report from a hospital the patient was first
taken to.
Noheem said after Baiyewu did the first surgery, the boy continued to complain about stomach pain and was taken back to Obitoks Hospital where Baiyewu carried out another round of surgery by himself.
Following more complications, Noheem said the boy was taken to LASUTH where it was confirmed that part of his intestine was missing.
The lawmaker said as a doctor, Baiyewu should have taken the excised part of the boy’s body to a pathological department for test, but that “Dr. Baiyewu told the committee that the body parts were mistakenly discarded,” and that the doctor had planned to do a third surgery before the boy was taken to LASUTH.
After Noheem’s submission, the House commiserated with the bereaved family with Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda calling for the sealing of the hospital.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke on the issue, suggested that a formal complaint be made against Dr. Baiyewu to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for action while others urged stricter monitoring of medical doctors and hospitals.
Obasa therefore asked the committee to invite officials of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), which has the law-backed responsibility to monitor private hospitals operating in the state.
He further asked the committee to review the extant law for possible amended in order to make private hospitals to report their activities to the government at all times.
ASHENEWS recalls that Akin-Bright died on Tuesday shortly after the House called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to further assist him to seek treatment abroad.
