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•Interim sanction by MDCN over toddler’s death is helpful to medicare system The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has suspended three senior doctors over the death of Nkanu
•Interim sanction by MDCN over toddler’s death is helpful to medicare system
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has suspended three senior doctors over the death of Nkanu Adichie-Esege, the 21-month-old son of acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The council said it established a prima facie case of negligence and professional misconduct against the doctors, following a probe triggered by a formal complaint lodged with it on January 16.
Nkanu and his twin brother were born to United States-based Adichie and her husband, Ivara Esege, himself a medical doctor, by surrogacy in 2024. He died January 7, this year, at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, a private facility in Lagos, amidst complications arising during preparatory medical procedures.
Reports said the toddler died a day before he was due for medical evacuation to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, not far from the couple’s US home. He had been referred from another Lagos hospital to Euracare for a series of diagnostic procedures that included an echocardiogram and a brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The parents, in complaints filed over Nkanu’s death, alleged lapses during his admission and lack of basic resuscitation equipment, amounting to medical negligence. They specifically complained of negligence in the administration of a sedative.
In a legal notice served through their lawyer, the bereaved parents cited sedation of Nkanu with propofol, inadequate monitoring, improper dosing, lack of supplemental oxygen, insufficient staff and delay by hospital personnel in responding to his deteriorating condition as factors leading to his death.
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Euracare denied administering improper care, saying its services were in line with established clinical protocols and internationally accepted medical standards. According to the hospital, it is inaccurate to suggest that medical negligence caused Nkanu’s death, but rather that its personnel provided standard care upon admission of the toddler who was brought in “critically ill.”
MDCN said it conducted an investigation by which medical practitioners from Euracare and Atlantis Paediatric Hospital responded to the complaints, submitted affidavits and presented oral testimony before its investigative panel.
At the conclusion of its 25th session held in Abuja from February 17 to 18, the panel determined that a prima facie case of medical negligence had been established against three doctors, namely Dr. Tosin Majekodunmi, Medical Director of Euracare; Dr. Titus Ogundare, anaesthesiologist at Euracare; and Dr. Atinuke Uwajeh, Chief Medical Director of Atlantis Paediatric Hospital.
The council issued interim suspension orders against the three, pending the outcome of formal disciplinary proceedings.
The investigative panel also found professional misconduct on the part of 10 other practitioners from Atlantis hospital. It referred all the indictments to the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal for formal hearing and determination, in line with MDCN’s statutory mandate.
The council stressed that the findings are preliminary and do not constitute a final determination of liability. Affected practitioners are entitled to a full hearing before the disciplinary tribunal, where evidence will be examined and a final decision rendered.
Further proceedings before the tribunal are expected to commence in due course, with MDCN pledging to ensure transparency and adherence to its regulatory framework throughout the process.
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Meanwhile, there is a parallel inquest ongoing before a Lagos magistrate’s court by which the state government aims to determine whether a full judicial investigation should proceed based on autopsy findings. The court has adjourned hearing in the matter to April 14.
On the heels of Nkanu’s death in January, the government affirmed zero tolerance for medical negligence or unprofessional conduct, saying any individual or institution found culpable of misconduct or regulatory violations would face the full wrath of the law.
In a statement following the interim suspension of its medical director and two other doctors, Euracare hospital defended its personnel and restated confidence in their professionalism. It described Majekodunmi and Ogundare as experienced professionals whose records of service to patients in Nigeria span many years.
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“Both doctors have, in their respective careers, contributed meaningfully to the delivery of quality healthcare to Nigerian patients at a standard comparable to what is obtainable in the world’s leading medical facilities,” the hospital said inter alia.
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Euracare raised concerns over procedural issues in MDCN’s conduct of its investigation, alleging breaches that it vowed to take up with appropriate legal and regulatory channels.
We laud the speed with which the regulatory council looked into the unfortunate death of Nkanu, though the announced decisions are interim and subject to a more thorough probe by the council’s disciplinary panel.
It is hoped that the next stage will be equally brisk and decisive: there should be no attempt or semblance of sweeping the matter under the rug. A life was cut short and, while nothing done can bring back the dead, justice must be done to help the healing of the bereaved family.
With claims of avoidable deaths from faulty medical procedures in recent times, it is reassuring that families of victims can file complaints against perceived lapses and hope to get justice. It builds confidence in the system when suspected derelictions are called to question by the professional body.
But we hope the redress mechanism is not functional only because of the eminence of complainants in this particular case. Complaints by any category of Nigerians must be swiftly attended to.
