A new development has been unearthed on the case of the late Adebola Akin-Bright, who died days ago due to the complications of his health.
The late 12-year-old was discovered to have “lost” a vital organ in his body — 26cm-long small intestine — while accessing medical treatment for what was said to be appendicitis.
The doctor that performed surgery twice on the boy is a quack, and not a qualified surgeon, according to the Chairman, Lagos House of Assembly ad-hoc committee, Hon. Noheem Adams, whose committee had investigated the issues surrounding the disappearance of Adebola’s organ while accessing care in the hospital.
The disclosure was contained in a statement released by Eromosele Ebhomele, media assistant to the Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.
Following the disclosure during the House plenary session on Thursday, the Speaker promptly instructed the Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, to expressly inform the State Police Command on the need to arrest the self-styled Medical Director of Obitoks Hospital, Alimosho area of Lagos, Abayomi Baiyewu.
Baiyewu, who reportedly gave his testimony while being recorded by the committee, told them that he did not carry out any prior medical examination on Adebola for the first surgery he personally did, but only relied on the report from a previous hospital the boy was first taken to.
He was also noted to have said during investigation that he is not a surgeon but only relied on his experience as a medical doctor.
The late Adebola’s story had incited compassion across the country within the last few weeks when his mother cried out on social media that his son’s intestines had been removed by a doctor that operated on him.
Adebola later died on Tuesday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, days after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had visited and assured him that the government would cater for his treatment.
His death also occurred on the same day Speaker Obasa urged the Lagos Governor to fly the boy abroad for proper medical treatment.
Consequent upon his death, Speaker Obasa set up a committee to probe the actual cause of the intestine disappearance and urged them to work with officials of the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA).
The committee was also asked to review the extant law and suggest if it should be amended to make private hospitals to always report their activities to the government.
Lagos House of Assembly ad-hoc committee chairman, Hon. Noheem Adams, while officially announcing Adebola’s death, described it as disheartening.
He said it was worrisome that after Baiyewu did the first surgery, the boy complained about stomach pain and was returned to Obitoks Hospital where ‘the quack doctor’ performed a second round of surgery by himself.
Adebola was referred to LASUTH when he developed complications, and it was there that doctors discovered and established that his small intestine was missing.
Adams informed the House that Baiyewu, as a medical doctor, should have taken the excised organ to a pathological department for test, instead of being discarded; and that the doctor was on the verge of doing a third surgery before Adebola was moved to LASUTH.
However, during cross-examination, Baiyewu was shown not to have been a qualified specialist for the surgical procedure.
The House has since ordered the sealing off of the hospital.
The lawmakers also advised that a formal complaint be made against Baiyewu to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for appropriate sanctions.
