LASUTH Not Culpable in Boy’s Missing Intestines -Management

The management of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, has once again absolved itself of the allegation that it is culpable in the case of a 12-year-old boy’s missing intestines.

This was contained in an official statement via X, formerly Twitter, and signed by the hospital management on Saturday.

The boy’s mother, Deborah Abiodun, had told a national newspaper that her son’s small intestines were missing.

In an SoS message to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, she begged him to, as a matter of urgency, probe the mysterious disappearance of her 12-year-old son, Adebola Akin-Bright’s small intestines, which she claimed occurred while he was receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, an allegation the hospital management refuted in a statement via X, (formerly Twitter), on August 12, 2023.

According to her, she was thrown into confusion when surgeons at LASUTH informed her that her son’s small intestines were missing after a corrective surgery was performed on him on July 14, 2023.

She added that her son was referred to LASUTH from a private hospital, Obitoks Medical Centre, located at Ile-Epo in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on June 17, after complications from surgery to correct intestinal obstruction.

However, on Saturday, September 2, the management of LASUTH once again came out to affirm that they did not wilfully remove any organ or structure from Abiodun’s body while performing the corrective surgery.

The management stressed that the hospital was equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, and highly knowledgeable, skilled and professional medical consultants who would never make such medical errors.

The statement reads: “Once again, the hospital management needs to clarify issues on the insinuations being made by a mother in a viral video that the alleged loss of her son’s intestines after surgery is a matter between a private hospital and LASUTH. Our hospital is an excellent tertiary institution with highly knowledgeable and skilled medical consultants.

“We are also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. The patient in question was referred to our hospital after having two surgeries carried out in a private hospital.”

The management also noted that besides the surgery being carried out by an experienced paediatric surgeon and supported by her team of professionals, video clips of the surgery were available for further clarification and avoidance of doubts.

The statement further added: “He required extensive optimisation in our facility before a corrective surgery could be carried out. At the surgery, which was carried out by an experienced pediatric surgeon and her team certain strange findings were discovered. There is a video clip of these intraoperative findings. The mother was informed about these findings but she appeared to be in denial.

“The hospital is in possession of a comprehensive report of the findings by a high-powered panel that it quickly set up to look into all ramifications of this case.

“Clearly, our hospital carried out a corrective surgery and did not wilfully remove any organ or structure. We empathise with the family of the patient. We believe that financial assistance from any quarters will be in order but we do not think that a blackmail of the state government via social media is the best approach.

“The hospital management is cooperating with the state agency which is already investigating this rather unfortunate case.”