My dear colleague, I read on www.nursingworldnigeria.com of the demise of your kid sister; a first class graduate at the NYSC camp in kano. I read with grief in my heart of how she presented at the camp clinic with pains and a fever but instead was accused by the camp doctors of pretending to avoid going for parade and was subsequently not attended, an obvious breach in their legal duty of care

 

I am saddend by the fact that you tried your possible best as a health professional/ patient relative to contribute to her care over the phone but our all-knowing doctors were just to proud to take your calls. 

 

I also read of how you persistently tried speaking with the camp doctors and yet again their pompous, egocentric and narcissistic nature in the face of a failed placebo treatment and anaphylactic reactions beclouded their once altruistic and kind nature of care.

 

Your 11 years of practise as a nurse meant little or nothing to these condescending, arrogant and misanthropic corper doctors; Even with petechiae, tongue twist and slurred speech they wouldnt yield to your request to refer her but instead choose to keep her for another 5 hours when the damage was already done. And when they finally did move her, it was to Gwarzo general hospital that lacked any doctor on ground, basic resusitative equipment or drugs

 

Oladepo-Olayode, As nurses we are the last line of defence against murderers marouding as doctors. The way your sisters case was handled is undoubtedly a gross case of professional negligence, irrespective of what the NYSC managment says.

 

Rule 29.4 of the code of medical ethics in Nigeria 2008 outlines examples of what acts or omissions constitute professional negligence as follows:

 

1. Failure to attend promptly to a patient requiring urgent attention when the practitioner was in a position to do so; (the camp doctors failed to attend promptly to her, claiming she was faking and pretending)

 

2. Manifesting incompetence in the assessment of a patient; (Even with a fever and in obvious pains, they displayed unbelievable incompentence in simple assessment of her clinical objective symtoms)

 

3. Making an incorrect diagnosis particularly when the clinical features were so glaring that no reasonable skillful practitioner could have failed to notice them; (Giving a placebo to treat pyrexia beats my imagination)

 

4. Making a mistake in treatment e.g. prescribing the wrong drug, or dosage in error 

 

5. Failure to refer, or transfer a patient in good time, when such a referral or transfer was necessary; 

 

6. Failure to do anything that ought reasonably to have been done under any circumstance for the good of the patient;

 

I totally agree with you, FG and NYSC Killed your kid sister Ifedolapo 

 

Dear colleague you must seek redress, act fast and file a case within three months bearing in mind the limits imposed by the public officers protection act. A charge of maslaughter should be the least you must demand since gross medical negligence resulted in your sisters death

 

You may choose to pursue civil claims against the said doctors or better still for alleged “torts” and breach of duty that resulted in her death. Follow this up by filling a complaint with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Also make a formal report to the Nigerian Police who must conduct a criminal investigation which i believe would reveal gross negligence, recklessness or wanton disregard for the life of your sister, the police must then prosecute or forward the case file to the office of the Attorney General of the State for prosecution.

 

Sadly, in their pride and false sense of comfort, Nigerian doctors see no reason for professional indemnity insurance because we have a flawed system that is yet to convict any of them for legal liability for negligent acts, errors and ommissions committed in their professional capacities, We must use this incidence to set the wrongs bedeviling Nigerian medical practise right.

 

Brace yourself Nurse Oladepo-Olayode. The road to justice may be long, and you will need courage to last you through the duration of the case. Be rest assured that it would be worth every minute of the noble life your kid sister spent on this earth. 

 

Accept my sincere and heartfelt condolence. May God give you the fortitude to bear your loss

 

Jude Chiedu (BNSc, RN, RM, RAEN) is a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing