Ikorodu General Hospital,
Sam Adeko, a former photojournalist, has accused Ikorodu General Hospital of “gross medical negligence and inhumane treatment” following the death of his 62-year-old wife, Adejoke.
According to Adeko, his wife was admitted to the hospital’s emergency ward on 15 April after she “fell into a ditch and injured one of her toes.”
He claims a doctor “amputated the toe without consultation or consent from him, the children, or any member of the family” and alleges that staff then “stopped attending to her,” leaving the wound to decay.
Adeko says she died on Sunday as her condition deteriorated.
“The hospital is responsible for my wife’s death,” the widower stated. “They abandoned her after the surgery for four days … They performed the procedure on Friday, but brought forms to seek her consent on Monday. That is highly irresponsible.” He added, “I want justice for my wife’s death. They have rendered my children motherless.”
Responding, Ikorodu General Hospital denies wrongdoing, insisting that “all medical decisions were made with the consent of the patient and in line with standard medical protocols.”
In a statement signed by Deputy Director of Public Affairs Yekini Olasheni, the hospital said Adejoke was admitted with a foot injury “complicated by underlying chronic medical conditions and unsupervised pre-admission home care.”
It maintains she received “comprehensive evaluation and treatment by a multidisciplinary team” and that “all procedures … were performed only after both verbal and written consent from the patient.”
The statement continues: “From the second day of admission, the patient’s relatives failed to provide prescribed medications and approve needed investigations despite multiple efforts by hospital staff to engage them”
“Due to the progressive nature of her condition … a procedure was performed to prevent further complications. This was carried out with verbal and written consent from the patient. No procedure was done without her explicit approval.”
Hospital officials also reject claims of restricted access: “Contrary to claims, the patient’s relatives were never denied access. However, on several critical occasions, no family member was present when medical teams needed to confer or provide updates.”
The hospital stresses that Adejoke “retained the right to choose or refuse treatment throughout her stay,” adding that “all treatment options, potential risks, and consequences of non-treatment were explained in clear terms to her.”
The hospital says a “definitive surgical intervention” was proposed on 7 May, but the patient “voluntarily declined” and “discharged herself against medical advice” the same day.
Adeko, however call for an investigation into the matter.
