…Alleges medical negligence in son’s death
Our Reporter, Abuja
Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has released a statement describing the circumstances surrounding the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, alleging severe medical negligence during a procedure at Euracare Hospital in Lagos. She also said that she will never survive the loss of her 21-month-old son.
In the statement, Adichie said her son fell ill while the family was in Lagos for Christmas, initially appearing to have a cold that later developed into a serious infection. He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital and was scheduled to be transferred to the United States on January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors, for further treatment. A medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was reportedly preparing to receive him.
Ahead of the planned transfer, doctors requested an MRI, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line. Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital to carry out the procedures.
According to Adichie, Nkanu was taken to Euracare on the morning of January 6 and was sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While she waited outside the operating theatre, she noticed medical staff rushing inside and sensed that something had gone wrong.
She said she was later informed that the anesthesiologist had administered an excessive dose of propofol, causing her son to become unresponsive. Although she was told he was resuscitated, Nkanu was subsequently placed on a ventilator, admitted to the intensive care unit, and later suffered seizures and cardiac arrest. He died several hours later.
Adichie alleged that her son was not properly monitored after sedation and that critical safety protocols were not followed. She further claimed that the anesthesiologist handled the child casually during transfers and switched off his oxygen after the procedure. In the statement, she described the conduct as “criminally negligent.”
The author also claimed that the family later learned of at least two previous cases in which the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosed children, questioning why the hospital continued to allow him to practice. She called for accountability to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day. We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever. It is like living your worst nightmare. I will never survive the loss of my child.
“We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working? This must never happen to another child,” Adichie wrote.
As of the time of reporting, Euracare Hospital had not publicly responded to the allegations.
