A pastor with a Pentecostal ministry, Chinedu
Rockson, has accused the management of Ilogbo
Central Hospital in the Ajangbadi area of Lagos State
of removing his wife’s womb and damaging her
bladder during childbirth.
Chinedu said the hospital also detained his wife over
the payment of N50,000, adding that efforts to clear
the bill had been frustrated by the hospital.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Chinedu’s wife, Chinansa,
had been referred to the hospital on August 26, 2016,
after she could not be delivered of the baby at the
hospital where she had her antenatal care.
The hospital reportedly commenced a caesarean
section on the 42-year-old after her husband signed
some documents to perfect the terms.Chinedu
explained that some hours into the operation, he was
called into the theatre to sign another document,
adding that nobody told him it was for the removal of
his wife’s womb.
He said,
“They charged N200, 000 for the operation and
we negotiated for N150,000. I paid a deposit of
N30,000 and they started the operation.
“They asked me to sign some papers, which I
did. Some hours later, a surgeon said there had
been complications and I would need to sign
another document. He didn’t tell me what I was
signing for or the implications. Because I was in
a haste to get my wife saved, I signed the
document.
“After some time, they brought out my wife
from the theatre with a pipe attached to her
bladder. We became worried when we
discovered that few days afterwards, they didn’t
remove the pipe.
“After a week, they said I should come and
clear my bill of N50,000 so they could discharge
her. I called a senior pastor, who presented
them with a cheque. But they said they would
keep her for the two weeks that the cheque
would be ready to be cashed.”
PUNCH Metro gathered that a sister-in-law, who
visited the victim at the hospital, asked the
management why the pipe had yet to be removed.The
hospital was said to have opened up that Chinansa’s
womb had been removed and her bladder damaged.
“They said she cannot control her urine
without the pipe. That was when I realised what
had happened,” Chinedu said.
The pastor lamented that his wife’s medical condition
had worsened, adding that he could neither afford the
hospital bill nor take her back home in her present
condition.
It was learnt that the couple, who are indigenes of
Anambra State, married in 2002 and had four
children, including the newborn baby.
Lawyer to the Rockson family, Chris Ogbedeneto, in a
petition to the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai
Owoseni, called for an investigation into the case.
He said, “Why should there be a second
signing? They scared the husband with the sight
of his wife in a pool of blood and did not let
him know what he was signing for. What is the
relationship between the womb and the bladder
and why does the hospital’s director now want
to discharge the woman when it is obvious that
her life is in danger?
“The doctor’s action can breach the peace of the
community if urgent actions are not taken. Our
client feels debased and suffers a mental and
psychological trauma on realising that the
wife’s womb has been cut off and the bladder
affected without his consent and his wife
cannot control her urine anymore.”
The hospital, in its reaction, denied any wrong doing
in the matter, saying Chinansa was in a bad shape
when she was admitted.
A director at the hospital, Dr Femi Obileyi, said the
mother of four could have died but for the quick
intervention of the hospital.
He said,
“We are known for standard in the area where
we operate and that is why we enjoy a lot of
patronage. The woman in question had been
mismanaged ab initio. She burst her womb in
the first hospital where she registered. They
pressed her womb to force the baby out and
that action ruptured the womb. When she was
brought to us, she was bleeding because the
labour had become obstructed.
“We discovered that to save her life, we would
need to do a surgery. At surgery, we discovered
that her uterus had burst, which had also
affected her bladder. We first stopped the
bleeding and then made some repairs. It was
after all these that we discovered she could not
control her urine.
“When they came to us, they had issues with
money, which we didn’t allow to be a barrier.
We admitted her and did everything possible to
save her life. We can’t imagine that after saving
her life, the family will turn around to fight us.
“The man was called in when the attempts to
repair the womb proved abortive. He was
informed that the tear was serious and we had
to save her life. We did that to carry him along,
and he gave his consent.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo
Badmos, said she would get back to our correspondent
on the case, but she had yet to do so as of press time.
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