Renowned Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a Lagos-based hospital of medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, who passed away earlier this week.
Adichie, in a detailed statement confirmed by her media representatives and reported by ARISE News on Saturday, said her son died after complications allegedly arising from poor monitoring during a medical procedure at Euracare Hospital in Lagos.
According to the statement, the toddler was taken to the hospital on January 6 for an MRI scan and the insertion of a central line, procedures that required sedation.
Adichie claimed that after the sedative drug propofol was administered, her son was not adequately monitored.
“My son would still be alive today if not for what happened at Euracare Hospital,” she stated.
Adichie explained that the family had been in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a minor illness but later escalated into a severe infection.
He was admitted to Atlantis Hospital and was scheduled to be flown to the United States the following day for advanced medical care.
“A medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was already waiting to receive him,” she said, adding that the US doctors requested further tests, including an MRI and a lumbar puncture.
She said Atlantis Hospital referred them to Euracare, described to the family as the most suitable facility to conduct the procedures.
On the morning of the procedure, Adichie said she was waiting outside the operating area when she noticed unusual activity.
“I saw doctors rushing into the theatre and immediately sensed something was wrong,” she recalled.
She was later informed that the anesthesiologist had administered an excessive dose of propofol, causing her son to become unresponsive.
Although he was reportedly resuscitated, Adichie said Nkanu was placed on life support, developed seizures, and later suffered cardiac arrest.
“Suddenly, my child was on a ventilator, then came seizures, and then cardiac arrest. A few hours later, he was gone,” she said.
Adichie further alleged that no proper monitoring equipment was used after the sedative was given and described the anesthesiologist’s conduct as grossly negligent.
“How do you sedate a critically ill child and fail to monitor him?” she asked. “Basic medical protocols were ignored.”
She also claimed that the family later learned of similar incidents allegedly involving the same anesthesiologist and questioned why he was still allowed to practise.
“This must never happen to another child,” she said.
When contacted for a response, a spokesperson for Euracare Hospital declined to comment in detail, stating only that any information regarding the matter would be addressed directly with Adichie.
The death of Nkanu, which PUNCH Online earlier reported followed a brief illness, has drawn widespread sympathy.
President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi were among prominent Nigerians who publicly extended condolences to Adichie and her family.
