The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, has denied an allegation of negligence in the death of Mr. Olaleye Franklin Adenibuyan, who died at the facility while receiving care from a critical fall on Tuesday.
While expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, LUTH management stated that the late Adenibuyan, who was admitted deeply unconscious into the facility on January 15, 2024, was promptly cared for at the Emergency Department and stabilized by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons.
The Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, Dr Ayodeji Oluwole, revealed in a press statement that the deceased was later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital for critical care due to being deeply unconscious upon admission.
He mentioned that in the ICU, his care was overseen by a team of neurosurgeons, intensivists, and ICU nurses. Throughout his hospitalization, the managing team stayed in direct and constant communication with Mr. Adenibuyan's immediate family, which included his wife and son.
“Our records reveal that he was given prompt, appropriate, and professional care for his condition by senior medical professionals,” he said.
Oluwole refuted suggestions of a shortage of critical care equipment at LUTH. Noting that hospital equipment downtime is not uncommon, Oluwole mentioned that the hospital has backup arrangements for such occurrences.
“In situations when hospital equipment experiences downtime, the hospital policy is for an ambulance and appropriate healthcare professionals to be made available to take the patient to a sister facility for the required procedure to be carried out.
“This was clearly communicated to Mr. Adenibuyan’s family when he needed a repeat CT scan. For the records, LUTH has functional imaging facilities including MRI, Xray, ultrasonography, fluoroscopy, and mammography machines.
Oluwole then reported that a decision was made to proceed with surgical intervention, but before it could take place, the patient had a cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
LUTH management has confirmed the establishment of a committee to look into the allegations concerning the death of Adenibuyan, stressing the hospital's outstanding track record and the government's commitment to upgrading its facilities.
