Lagos doctor imprisoned over negligence after endangering teenager’s life

In a groundbreaking verdict, Dr. Ferdinand Ejike Orji, the Medical Director of Excel C Medical Centre Ikoyi area of Lagos, has been convicted of criminal negligence.

This was as the State High Court found him guilty on four out of six counts, including causing grievous bodily harm and endangering human life through reckless and negligent acts, as well as breach of duty of person doing dangerous acts.

It was gathered that the General and Paediatric Surgeon was dragged before Justice Adedayo Akintoye of Lagos High Court, over his misconduct in the treatment of Somtochukwu Ezi-Ashi, a 16-year-old.

Prior to the judgement, multiple reports claimed that Orji applied a fiberglass cast on the patient before sending them for an X-Ray at another location, despite not being an orthopaedic surgeon.

The allegations against the doctor further revealed that there is no evidence that the defendant sought appropriate consent from the patient, or his parents before applying the cast.

The patient reportedly developed swelling and pain in the left leg after the cast was applied, and when informed, Orji only made a small opening in the popliteal area to relieve the pain and ultimately converted the cast to a back slab at the request of the patient’s father.

“My son’s condition worsened, after which he was discharged from Excel C Medical Centre before being taken to other hospitals for treatment.

In the course of seeking medical attention for my boy, who’s aspiring to be a basketball player, his parents met Dr. Ike Nwachukwu, an orthopaedic surgeon at Reddington Hospital, who later attended to the patient and diagnosed him with compartment syndrome.

“Somtochukwu’s medical condition took a dire turn as it was revealed that he had developed compartment syndrome, a condition caused by restricted blood supply to the limb due to a tight cast.

The young patient had to undergo six surgical interventions at Reddington Hospital Lagos before being flown to the United States of America (USA) for further treatment to save his limb.

“While the limb was saved, it was gathered that Somtochukwu developed Foot Drop as a result of Orji’s negligence,” the victim’s father, Ezi-Ashi, was quoted as saying.

The incident, however, caught the attention of the authorities, leading to an investigation by the police. Subsequently, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) filed charges against Orji.

Somtochukwu’s mother also lodged a complaint with the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel in March 2019, accusing Orji of negligence in the management of her son’s condition.

The complaint further adds to the legal challenges faced by Reddington Hospital Lagos in this case.

Even though Orji’s case had faced delays at the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Lagos State pressed forward with the criminal charges.

Following the pressing of the charges, Orji was later re-arraigned in February 2022, after which the prosecution made use of records obtained by subpoena from the Medical and Dental Practitioners Investigation Panel to present compelling medical evidence against the defendant.

Amongst others, Orthopaedic surgeons who had treated the teenager testified as witnesses in the case.

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Having heard the argument of the prosecution and witnesses, the Lagos State High Court delivered its verdict on the case, convicting Orji on four counts and sentencing him to one year in prison for each count.

The conviction of Dr. Orji is, however, seen as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s medical field, as public stakeholders expressed the opinion that it will pave the way for more successful prosecutions of reckless and negligent doctors.