Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accuses Lagos hospital of negligence after son's death

Nigerian Author Blames Lagos Hospital for Her Son's Sudden Death After Surrogacy

Chimamanda Adichie, a prominent Nigerian author, has taken to social media to express her outrage and grief over the sudden death of one of her 21-month-old twin sons. The tragic incident occurred at Euracare hospital in Lagos, where the child was being treated for an unspecified illness.

According to sources close to the family, Adichie's WhatsApp chat revealed a harrowing account of what transpired before Nkanu's untimely demise on January 6th. In a chilling message, she described her experience at Euracare as "living my worst nightmare," alleging that medical negligence played a significant role in his death.

It is reported that the toddler was admitted to Euracare for diagnostic procedures after being referred from another Lagos hospital. However, Adichie's chat logs suggest that a resident anaesthesiologist administered an overdose of propofol, leading to Nkanu's cardiac arrest and ultimately resulting in his passing just one day before he was due for medical evacuation to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

The hospital has since issued a statement claiming that its staff provided care "in line with established clinical protocols and internationally accepted medical standards." However, Adichie's account paints a starkly different picture of catastrophic errors and reckless disregard for the child's well-being.

As news of Nkanu's tragic death spreads, Nigeria is grappling with the fallout. The country's woefully inadequate healthcare system has long been criticized, with an astonishing doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:9,083. The systemic failures within the health sector have claimed countless lives, and Adichie's case serves as a stark reminder of the need for urgent reform.

In a statement of condolence, Bola Tinubu, Nigeria's president, acknowledged the "profound tragedy" and promised to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, critics like Oby Ezekwesili are calling for fundamental reforms to address the governance failures that plague Nigeria's healthcare system.

I'm totally mind blown by this one ! It just goes to show how broken our healthcare system is . I mean, a 1:9,083 doctor-to-patient ratio? That's just insane! How can we expect people like Chimamanda Adichie, who are lucky enough to have the means to seek medical attention abroad, to survive with all these systemic failures in place? It highlights how our government needs to take a closer look at the root causes of this problem and make some real changes. Maybe we should start by increasing funding for healthcare infrastructure and ensuring that there are more doctors on the ground to care for our citizens . And let's not forget about accountability - if someone is going to administer an overdose, they should be held accountable . It's time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and ask why we're not doing enough to protect our people's health .

The Eurocare hospital is playin' dirty games with lives... who cares about "established clinical protocols" when it comes to human kids? 1:9,083 doc-to-patient ratio says it all, a country needs a serious overhaul, not just lip service.

OMG, this is just heartbreaking ! I mean, imagine your baby boy is taken away from you because of medical mistakes... it's just not right . And to think they're saying it was just a resident anaesthesiologist being careless? Like, come on, ppl need to take responsibility for their actions . The fact that there's no accountability in Nigeria's healthcare system is just alarming . I mean, 1 doctor per every 9,083 people? It's like they're not even trying to fix this problem . We need urgent reforms ASAP . Can't believe our president is just saying it's a "tragedy" and promises to investigate... where's the concrete action plan?

I'm so sorry to hear about Chimamanda Adichie's loss ... it's just heartbreaking. I don't think Euracare hospital is doing enough to be transparent about what happened, you know? They need to come clean and say if there was really an overdose or not . And honestly, the whole system in Nigeria needs a complete overhaul . The stats on doctor shortages are just insane - 1:9,083?! That's like, how can you even keep track of anything with that many people to care for? ... I guess what I'm saying is, we need to hold our leaders accountable and make sure these kinds of tragedies don't happen again .

this is just heartbreaking... 21 months old, can you even imagine? i mean, surrogacy is supposed to be a safe way for people to build their families, but clearly there were huge mistakes made here. i'm not surprised about the hospital's response, though - it's always easy to blame someone else when things go wrong. but this case is especially egregious because of how many lives are at stake. our healthcare system is literally killing us... or, in Nkanu's case, taking away a precious life that was barely alive. propofol overdose? come on! that's just reckless negligence. and now we're expected to believe it was all "established clinical protocols" and whatnot? gimme a break. we need real change, not just empty promises from politicians.

I don’t usually comment but... it’s just so heartbreaking to see a famous author go through this. Chimamanda Adichie is known for her advocacy and passion for social justice, and now she’s having to deal with a tragedy like this. It’s not just about the loss of her son, but also the fact that it happened in a hospital where you’d expect better care. The doctor-to-patient ratio in Nigeria is already concerning, and it sounds like this incident highlights just how dire things are when it comes to healthcare. I feel for the family and for the country, really. It’s time for some real change, not just empty promises from politicians.