The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, has denied allegations that one of its house officers, Dr Michael Umoh, died after a marathon 72-hour call.
The Chief Medical Director of the federal teaching hospital, Prof Lanre Adeyemo, speaking with our correspondent also said he had yet to receive the purported internal memo that had been circulating online, attributing the death of the house officer to a three-day call at the hospital.
REPORTERS AT LARGE reports that on Tuesday, an internal memo with the letterhead of the Association of Resident Doctors, LUTH branch, was leaked online and attributed Dr Umoh’s death to having worked a three-day non-stop shift in the Neurosurgery Department.
The memo addressed to LUTH’s CMD and dated 19th of September alleged that Umoh had after ending his call on Sunday morning, prepared for a church service same morning only to die shortly while in church at about 11am.
The letter also alleged that one of the most challenges the house officer face was being bullied by senior colleagues while also lamenting the “stressful call hours without breaks in-between, no call food, no good accommodation.”
The letter which had no signature then requested that house officers who worked the previous day be allowed to work half day the next day or resume work mid-day of the next day.
It also requested that house officers should not be made to work 48 hours at a stretch amongst other work friendly demands of them.
The PUNCH reports Prof Adeyemo as saying that the narrative that the deceased house officer worked three days straight was a lie and that he was not at work on Saturday nor the Sunday he died.
In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the professor said, “It is unfortunate the young man died. He didn’t die in the hospital, he died outside the hospital but the narrative of 72 hours (work) is not true but you know we can’t be talking about that when someone just died.
“I just had a meeting with the head of Department and Neurosurgery Unit, the evidence provided to me didn’t show that. How they got the narrative of the 72 hours; honestly, I don’t know.
“Those who pushed out the narrative for whatever reason have realised it’s an error on their part. They family is grieving, the hospital is grieving.”
Also speaking, the leadership of the LUTH branch of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors led by Dr Kemi Abiloye also denied the letter originating from them, adding that they were not aware of such a letter until its circulation online.
The association stated this was a difficult time for the hospital and the association, describing the late Umoh as “a very promising young man.”
According to the ARD president, some people were playing politics with the young man’s death.
