Oluwatobiloba Jaiyeola
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi on Wednesday, announced the commencement of an investigation to look into the death of a three-year-old boy who died at the Eti-Osa Maternal and Childcare Centre, Lekki-Ajah.
Prof. Abayomi disclosed this in a statement signed by him as a reaction to the death of the boy.
PUNCH HealthWise had reported how the family of a three-year-old boy, David Nwogu, has been thrown into mourning after he died while being treated at the Maternal and Child Hospital in the Ajah area of Lagos State
The commissioner expressed his sympathy to the family of the deceased while assuring that he has requested an investigation that would include an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, an evaluation of medical records of the child, additional documents, etc.
He noted that the management of the hospital had officially reported the incident to the ministry while an investigation into the death of the deceased had since begun at the facility level.
Prof. Abayomi said, “I would like to first and foremost express my heartfelt condolence to the family of the deceased and pray for the repose of the soul of the departed. The incident which occurred between Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September 2022 is rather unfortunate, and sad.
“However, for the avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to note that the management of the facility had also officially reported the incident to the Ministry while an investigation into the allegation and the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident has since commenced at the facility level.
“In the same vein, I have also requested an independent investigation into the incident. Our investigation will include an autopsy, a review of medical records of the patient and additional documents, enquiries from medical staff who attended to the deceased, and the parents of the child.
“Without pre-empting the outcome of the ongoing investigation, I would like to state that this is a Coroner’s inquest case, which is why an autopsy has been requested to determine the actual cause of death.
“I, therefore, sue for calm and assure members of the public of our commitment to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the incident, and make available the outcome of the investigation,” Abayomi stated.
The Lagos Commissioner assured that guidelines and plans aimed toward completely stopping the occurrence of maternal and child death will be set in place in the state.
“Our resolve to halt avoidable deaths of neonates, infants, and children is unshaken. We will continue to vigorously implement policies and strategies geared towards preventing and halting maternal and child mortality in the center of excellence,” he said.
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