By Wellington Jopelo
Renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos hospital of medical negligence following the death of her young son, Nkanu Nnamdi. She said her son died after what was meant to be a routine medical procedure, blaming poor handling by medical staff for the tragic outcome.
According to Adichie, her son was taken to the hospital to prepare him for travel abroad for further treatment. She explained that he was given a sedative drug before an MRI scan and the insertion of a medical line. She said the drug was administered without proper monitoring, which caused her son to lose consciousness.
Adichie stated that her son later suffered seizures and cardiac arrest and was rushed to intensive care, where he died hours later. She described the actions of the medical team, especially the anesthesiologist, as careless and dangerous, saying proper safety procedures were not followed.
She explained that her son was stable before the procedure and that plans were already in place for him to receive treatment outside Nigeria. What was meant to be a preparatory step, she said, turned into a fatal situation due to avoidable errors.
Adichie also revealed that she was later informed that her son may have been over-sedated. She questioned why such a powerful drug was used and why there was no close supervision while it was administered.
The author expressed deep pain and anger over the incident, stating that no parent should have to lose a child due to medical mistakes. She called for accountability and raised concerns about whether similar incidents may have happened to other patients.
Adichie said she decided to speak out so that her son’s death would not be ignored and so that changes could be made to prevent future tragedies. She stressed the need for higher medical standards and strict enforcement of safety rules in hospitals across the country.