The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, has once again denied any involvement in the case of the missing intestines of a 12-year-old boy, as stated in an official statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) and signed by the hospital management on Saturday. The boy’s mother, Deborah Abiodun, had previously alleged that her son’s small intestines went missing during his treatment at the hospital. She urgently appealed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the matter. However, the hospital management refuted these allegations in a statement on X on August 12, 2023.
She expressed her dismay when LASUTH surgeons informed her that her son’s small intestines were missing following a corrective surgery on July 14, 2023. Her son had been referred to LASUTH from Obitoks Medical Centre in Ile-epo, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, on June 17 due to complications from surgery to correct intestinal obstruction. However, on Saturday, September 2, LASUTH’s management reiterated that they did not intentionally remove any organ or structure from Abiodun’s body during the corrective surgery.
The management stressed that the hospital is 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 reads, “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.”
