Commissioner for health, Lagos State, Jide Idris

The Lagos State Health Services Commission, LSHSC, has found Dr Joy Ohirnigbe culpable of the death of 15 months old baby, Taiwo Adetunji, in her private clinic.

Mrs Adeola Salako, the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, made this known on Tuesday in Lagos.

This followed outcome of its investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of the girl in the doctor’s clinic after she was withdrawn by the doctor from General Hospital, Alimosho to her clinic.

Salako said that outcomes of the investigations found the doctor culpable.

According to her, the matter has been referred to the State Ministry of Justice, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as well as the Police for further action and prosecution, if necessary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the patient (baby) ended up at a private clinic where she eventually died due to alleged mismanagement and unprofessional conduct at the H.J. Clairaoowen Hospital, Egbeda.

Salako said the investigations by the Health Service Commission revealed the following:

“Dr Joy Ohirnigbe, who was a volunteer staff of Alimosho General Hospital until March 25, 2019, was on call duty on the day the deceased child was brought to the hospital. She was found to have ignored the established referral system and protocol of the hospital by not consulting with the Head of Pediatrics or communicating with the Nurses or the Ambulance section”.

“Her decision was made single handedly for selfish and monetary gains. Dr Joy flouted the conventional system of referral within the sector in which a patient is only referred from a secondary to a tertiary level of healthcare”.

“Unknown to the Ministry, she illegally operates an unregistered healthcare facility where she employed quacks headed by Mr Dayo Badmus, an auxiliary”, nurse.

“Her unprofessional and negligent conduct led to the death of the patient. In a callous manner, she facilitated the quick disposal of the corpse without the required autopsy by instructing a nurse to give a Death certificate and advising on the burial location.”

Salako said that two other staff found negligent through acts of omission have also been reprimanded and disciplined in accordance with Civil Service extant rules.

In his reactions, Commissioner for Health, Jide Idris said there was no doubt that the issue at hand had underscored the need for a concerted effort by all stakeholders to eradicate quackery and other unprofessional conduct in health care delivery.

According to him, we must join hands in ensuring that quacks find Lagos too hot a destination for their criminal operations.

“Let us be provoked by the loss of this innocent life to push the criminals out of the state. The outcome of this tragic incident is to serve as formal notice of the state’s renewed mission to rid the state of the life-threatening scourge of quacks and quackery,” Idris said. (NAN)