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The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Lokoja, Kogi State, Dr Olatunde Alabi has assured patients of quality healthcare service delivery at all times.
Alabi gave the assurance on Thursday in Lokoja while interacting with newsmen.
He stated that the hospital has always adhered to best practices and standards in the handling and treatment of its patients which had helped in preventing unnecessary deaths due to negligence or carelessness of medical personnel in the Centre.
According to him, the death of a teenage patient in the hospital on June 20 was not due to negligence or carelessness as being reported by some online media and a newspaper.
Alabi said that the late 18 year old patient, Raphael Olorunlogbon was referred to the hospital by the clinic in Maigumeri Barrack in Lokoja in a critical condition at about 7:22 pm of June 18.
He said that the boy was brought in with ruptured appendicitis and swollen right scrotum, saying that he was referred to the Centre after six days of excruciating pain in the clinic.
The Medical Director said that the boy had become very weak and unconscious, a development which made the personnel on duty to immediately place him on oxygen.
He said that necessary tests were also conducted, the results of which indicated that his stomach and right scrotum was filled with pores.
“His condition was evaluated and it was discovered that he was not fit for theatre immediately. The National blood bank in Lokoja was also contacted for blood and adequate preparation for surgery was set in motion.
“He was wheeled into the theatre for a major surgery operation at about 4pm on June 19 and the operation was successfully carried out but after the surgery, the patient did not recover from anesthesia.
“His system had been overwhelmed by infections . His level of consciousness was too low . He was taken to the intensive care unit where the standard care and process that started from the theatre continued.
“He remained on oxygen to help his resuscitation. He was certified dead on June 20 after two days of admission at the Centre,” Alabi explained.
The Medical Director said that records keeping, including patient information are now being done electronically in the hospital, saying that virtually all the doctors had been connected to the centre’s intranet system.
Alabi said this is what was in operation when the late Olorunlogbon was being attended to and which his relations alleged that medics on duty were playing with their telephones.
He sympathized with the relations of the late patient but was quick to add that they were subtly informed that his case was a bad one when they brought to the FMC.
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