‘Our CT Scan Machine Working’ — National Hospital Denies Causing Death Of 27-Year-Old Pharmacist

The National Hospital, Abuja, has denied that negligence and incompetence on the part of its members of staff caused the death of 27-year-old Pharmacist, Obinna Charles Emeka.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER in an interview, Dr Tayo Haastrup, the hospital’s spokesperson, denied the claim by Obinna’s father that negligence and unavailability of functional scanning machines at the hospital led to his son’s death.

“I read the post but it is not true,” Haastrup told this website.

Obinna’s father, Pharm. Emeka Ogbonna, a former Chairman of the Abia State Task Force on Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Food, had narrated how his son allegedly died in a Facebook post.

He said Obinna, a certified pharmacist and novelist, was hit by a car on April 1, 2023, at about 7:10 p.m. in the Kubwa area of Abuja.

Ogbonna claimed that following the incident, his son was immediately rushed to the Kubwa General Hospital, but it took about three hours before a doctor arrived and suggested that his son be taken to National Hospital, Abuja.

The man claimed that at the National Hospital, the medical staff requested that he undergo a full body scan and x-ray before receiving treatment but noted that the National Hospital’s machines were not working and had not worked for almost two years.

“He (Obinna) was taken to a private hospital to obtain the full body scan and when my son, Pharmacist Obinna Emeka, was brought back to National Hospital, it took the hospital medical team close to two hours for documentation before he was taken in for medical attention.

“At this time, his veins have collapsed. The medical team after watching my son gradually stopped breathing came out and announced to his friends and people who brought him to the hospital that they were sorry, my son, the writer, my Prince, my pharmacist who worked with me in our pharmacy till March 31, 2023, could not make it,” Mr Ogbonna claimed.

According to him, his late son was a prolific writer and pharmacist with Ziga Pharmacy Ltd.

He said Obinna authored his first book, “Ice Age” when he was in primary school, adding that the deceased submitted his manuscript for his new book to a prominent publishing house in February 2023.

“He was 27 years old. I am in pains. I took my son to Owerri airport on March 31, 2023, from where he flew to Abuja for a meeting and I flew to Abuja on April 2, 2023, to take his corpse back home from the National Hospital mortuary. He was full of life. I have lost my son to incompetence and negligence,” he wrote.

Ogbonna urged that to prevent further preventable deaths, the National Hospital should be shut down “because it is mainly a death trap”

But Dr Haastrup explained in a subsequent statement that the deceased was presented to the National Hospital Abuja Trauma Centre on 2/4/2023, “Seven (7) hours following the accident. Necessary investigations and procedures were carried out but unfortunately we lost the patient.

“As a matter of fact, there was no incompetence or negligence in the treatment of the said patient. National Hospital Abuja ensures that Medical Services are rendered promptly. Emergencies/Trauma cases are given priorities. Our CT scan, MRI and Ultra Sound machines are always available for in-patients and emergencies. Furthermore, it is a policy in National Hospital Abuja to attend to emergencies for 48 hours without emphasizing on the monetary aspect.”

While expressing sympathy to Mr Ogbonna’s family for the loss of their son, Haastrup noted that the National Hospital Abuja has competent medical staff who are fully accredited by professional organisations and that the facility carefully adheres to established protocols.

Additionally, he stated that the National Hospital Abuja Management calls on the general public to ensure that patients are transported to hospitals on time for better management.

The late Emeka Obinna graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2017.

While in school, he was the coach of his football team. He was featured on numerous websites, including the Kalahari Review, Brittlepaper, Afritondo, and Africanwriter.