Housewife alleged murder sparks-off trouble at Federal Medical Centre

v Messy Details of How the Housewife Died Of Alleged Negligence
v Hospital Management Denies Allegations, Claims She Died of Blood Transfusion Reaction

Allegations of negligence, and other related acts have continued to brew trouble at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, Delta State following the death of one Mrs. Rita Uchebuego in the hospital few weeks ago.

While the scores of the shocking death of the housewife who was pregnant with twins, and was later delivered of the babies before she allegedly gave the ghost to negligence hitherto raises dust of seriously controversies, the hospital management through the Acting Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma said the housewife died of blood transfusion reaction, and denied the claims of negligence its related acts as untrue.

The deceased’s hubby, Mr. Ngozi Uchebuego at a media conference yesterday in Asaba, told journalists that he married Rita Uchebuego on the 11th of June, 2016 at the House on the Rock Assembly Church, Asaba upon their relationship while she was in camp in Issele-Uku as a corp member, adding that after their marriage they both lived together as husband and wife but in the happiest discovering that she became pregnant with twins.

According to him, on the discovery of her pregnancy, we proceeded to register for ante natal services at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba wherein a patient’s card number FMCP/0270822 was issued to my wife” disclosing that one Dr. Ojenuwa Sunday Abiodun was assigned to his wife as consultant to oversees her wellbeing till she delivered.

But this he said, was not to be as sooner than later, the hospital went on strike, and during the pregnancy of the strike action, one Albert Omate, his friend recommended Graceland Specialist Hospital/Maternity to him, where he met one Dr. Maduakor, who doubles as a consultant obstetrician/gynecologist at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba.

He alleged that Dr. Maduakor, Chief Medical Director, Graceland Specialist Hospital/Maternity insisted he register his wife with him for same ante natal services; a request, Uchebuego claimed was immediately granted and registered his wife in the hospital, and was consequently issued with a patient card number 2666.

He said: “Dr. Maduakor became my wife’s doctor by virtue of which he conducted series of tests on her in respect of her pregnancy and from one of such test results, he De. Maduakor told me that my wife has blood shortage issues in her pregnancy because she was carrying twins”.

He further disclosed that at the subsequent called-off strike action at the FMC, his wife resumed attendance at the ante natal clinic, adding that Dr. Ojenuwa her consultant, confirmed her Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) to be the 10th of March 2017, but on Monday the 6th day of March 2017, “my wife, Mrs. Rita Uchebuego was at the ante natal check up at the hospital where Dr. Ojenuwa discovered that her blood pressure was 160/100mmHg, and advised that she should be admitted to monitor her blood pressure till the following day”.

He said that the following day being the 7th of March, 2017, he requested his mother in-law to join him at the hospital upon his returned from a site where he had gone to deliver a job he completed, but to his surprise he met his wife passing through excruciating pains, and her stomach visibly moving faster while her screaming lasted.

“This made me terrified, and so I enquired to know what the problem was but was told that she had been induced by the nurse on duty on Dr. Ojenuwa’s instruction, I did not know what it meant to be induced” the visibly angry Uchebuego told the journalists.

Narrating further, Uchebuego said he was shocked when it was revealed to him that inducement can only be done when permission had been sought, and obtained from the expecting mother, and her husband, adding that he was unsettled and immediately requested to see Dr. Ojenuwa rather his efforts to see him met a brick wall as he was nowhere near the hospital premises.

He said: “this put me in a position where I was left in the dark so I demanded to know why they induced my wife when they earlier told her that they were only admitting her to monitor her blood pressure, and her EDD was still far away but the nurses asked me to calm down that my wife would soon put to bed” disclosing that with the assurances, he dashed out of the hospital to deliver some survey plans to his clients, only to return and met his wife in serious pains, informing him that she was induced the second time without her consent.

He added that his wife on the 8th of March 2017 was rushed into the labour ward where she was allegedly forced to push but yielded no positive result when she tried and failed, and was booked for an emergency cesarean section after she had suffered two failed unauthorized inducements.

During her labour process, Uchebuego alleged that his enquiry as to who performs the cesarean operation turned out to be Dr. Maduakor his wife private doctor; a situation he breathed a sigh of relief but waited endlessly for Dr. Maduakor who refused to show up adding that after a while one Dr. Adigba came into the labour ward and performed the operation after two pints of blood donated to her.

“At about 1:30pm, my twin beautiful baby girls came out from the theater, and the surgery ended at about 2:00pm when my wife was rolled out of the theater to the O&G ward with a pint of blood connected to her body through her hand” he said.

Regretting that his wife was alleged killed due to the hospital’s doctors/nurses’ negligence, Uchebuego disclosed that he met the wife struggling with Oxygen fixed on her, and fearfully beckoning on him to come and assist her on his returned to the hospital on the 9th March, 2017 from his house but could not do much as he did not know anything about oxygen neither does he know how to fix it, rather he shouted for help only for one Nurse Egbuobi to have shouted back at him; a situation he suspected a foul play, and no sooner he was praying the wife, she gave up the ghost.

“Since my wife gave up the ghost, I have getting strange calls to my life, and I have vowed to get to the root cause” he alleged.

But his team of lawyers, led by Barr. Dumbili Chinonso Emmanuel told the journalists that though investigations were ongoing following their petitions to various stakeholders, adding that it was crystal clear based on oath of Dr. Ojenuwa and Dr. Maduakor at the Federal High Court Asaba that the hospital’s negligence and willful act resulted in the death of Mrs. Rita Uchebuego.

Barr. Chinonso Emmanuel disclosed that the hospital’s Acting Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma allegedly gave series of contradictions in his reports, saying that his reply to the body constituted to investigate their petitions were in variance with their findings.

He said: “in fact the Acting Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma in his response to our findings, claimed he was still investigating which had ran fowl of the certification of the blood as fit for administration on Mrs. Rital Uchebuego by the Lab Scientists at the FMC”. Barr. Chinonso Emmanuel therefore demanded that Dr. Victor Osiatuma be sacked while others be made to face disciplinary action of the law.