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•FG rises against complacency in health sector, triggered by Chimamanda’s son’s death
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A few weeks ago, Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, announced the sudden death of her little son, Nkanu, whom she claimed died as a result of professional negligence in a private health facility in Lagos.
Expectedly, the development sparked national outrage, highlighting the challenge of growing cases of alleged professional misconduct among healthcare workers that have resulted in loss of several lives.
Chimamanda said: “We were in Lagos for Christmas. My little son Nkanu, had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection. He was admitted to Atlantis hospital in Lekki, Lagos.
“Nkanu was to travel to the US the next day, January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore, US. The Hopkins team had asked for a lumbar puncture test and an MRI. The Nigerian team had also decided to put in a ‘central line’ (used to administer iv medications) in preparation for Nkanu’s flight.
“Atlantis hospital later referred us to Euracare Hospital, which was said to be the best place to have the procedures done. The morning of the 6th January, 2026, we left Atlantis hospital for Euracare, with Nkanu carried in his father’s arms. We were told he would need to be sedated to prevent him from moving during the MRI and the ‘central line’ procedure.
“I was waiting just outside the theatre. I saw people rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened. A short time later, a doctor came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol (a fast-acting intravenous anesthetic and sedative used to induce and maintain general anesthesia for surgery) by the anesthesiologist, had become unresponsive and was quickly resuscitated. But suddenly Nkanu was on a ventilator, he was intubated and placed in the ICU. The next thing I heard was that he had seizures, cardiac arrest. All these had never happened before. Some hours later, Nkanu was gone.
“It turns out that Nkanu was never monitored after being given too much propofol. The anesthesiologist had just casually carried Nkanu on his shoulder to the theatre, so nobody knows when exactly Nkanu became unresponsive.
“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him? Later, after the ‘central line’ procedure, the anesthesiologist casually switched off Nkanu’s oxygen and again decided to carry him on his shoulder to the ICU!. The anesthesiologist was criminally negligent. He was fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child. No proper protocol was followed.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day. We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever. It is like living your worst nightmare. I will never survive the loss of my child. We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working? This must never happen to another child.”
The global reaction that accompanied the incident was overwhelming, forcing the affected health facility to issue a statement to explain its own side of the story.
But a few days later, Chimamanda reported another incident of medical negligence that led to the death of one Aishatu Umar in Kano.
She said the story was sent to her from one Abubakar Muhammed who had drew her attention to the Kano incident: “She was a sister in-law to me, She passed away. She is survived by her husband and five children. Living in Kano, she fell ill a few months ago and underwent surgery at the Abubakar Imam Urology Center in September, 2025.
“Following the surgery, she suffered from severe abdominal pain. Whenever she went back to the hospital, she was only given pain relievers. She suffered this pain for four months. Just a few days ago, tests and scans were finally conducted. The tests revealed that a pair of scissors had been left inside her body during the September operation.
“Efforts were being made to perform a corrective surgery, but her time had run out, and she passed away. Is this not pure negligence? Truly, every soul has its appointed time, but how can professional doctors forget scissors inside a patient? This tarnishes the reputation of healthcare workers and health authorities.
“We call on the Kano State Government to investigate and take action. We call on the health regulatory bodies to investigate and take action, and we also demand justice for Aishatu Umar.”
FG takes action
Following the global attention that was generated by the two incidences as shared by the literary icon, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare inaugurated the National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety.
The Task Force is expected to support the development and operationalisation of sustainable clinical governance and patient safety structures, standards, and accountability mechanisms that improve health outcomes, enhance patient experience, and strengthen workforce performance across the Nigerian health system.
It will also serve as a strategic platform for integrating quality and patient safety into all aspects of health service delivery. The Ministry said the initiative aligns with global calls by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and The Lancet Global Health Commission, for low- and middle-income countries to move beyond access alone and prioritise high-quality, people-centred care as the foundation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
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The Ministry was optimistic that the work of the Task Force will significantly contribute directly to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 3.8 on quality essential health services, and support the realisation of the objectives of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The task force
Regarding the composition of the National Task Force Team, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said he will serve as the Chairman of the task force, while Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, will serve as the alternate chairman of the Task Force.
Others members are the Daju Kachollom, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Director, Department of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (Secretary of the Task Force); Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics; Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General, National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA); Dr. Banji Filani, Chair, Forum of Honourable Commissioners of Health; Prof. Fatima Kyari, Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN); Pharm. Ibrahim Ahmed, Registrar, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN).
Also included are Alhaji Ngagi Alhassan, Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN); Registrar, Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN); Prof. Bala Audu, President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA); Prof. Philip Abiodun, Chairman, National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC); Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State; Prof. Gbenga Ogedengbe, New York University School of Medicine; Prof. Chinyere Anyaogu, NYC Health + Hospitals; Prof. Joseph N. Ana, Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety, Calabar; Dr. Toyosi Okurounmu, Medical Leadership and Clinical Performance, Atlanta.
Also nominated are Dr. Oranu Ibekie, Indiana University School of Medicine; Dr. Jide Menakaya, President, MANSAG; Dr. Sonny Isemede, Patient Safety Africa;.Representative, Guild of Medical Directors; Representative, Society for Quality in Health Care in Nigeria, Mrs. Moji Makanjuola; Representative of Civil Society Organisations; Representative, Association of General Medical Practitioners.
Mandate and scope
Prof. Pate highlighted the mandate and scope of the responsibilities of the task force.
The National Task Force shall undertake actions that shift the paradigm toward improvement, active learning, behavioral incentives, and capacity building, away from blame games and punitive actions when there’s no proven negligence.
It shall conduct a national landscape analysis of clinical governance and patient safety in Nigeria; develop and standardise national clinical governance and patient safety frameworks, policies, and implementation guidance; strengthen systems for the prevention, reporting, learning, and response to adverse events and patient safety incidents; promote adherence to evidence-based clinical standards, protocols, and ethical practice across health facilities; institutionalise quality improvement and patient safety culture at facility, state, and national levels.
The mandate also cover galvanised support for capacity building for health workers and managers on clinical governance, risk management, and patient safety; enhance patient and community engagement in quality and safety initiatives, including feedback and complaint mechanisms; establish national indicators and monitoring systems to track quality and patient safety performance; strengthen coordination among federal, state, regulatory, professional, and private sector stakeholders on quality and safety; and uphold confidentiality and ethical handling of sensitive information, including patient safety incidents and facility performance data.
Meanwhile, members of the task force are encouraged to selflessly contribute their expertise, experience, resources, and goodwill towards strengthening clinical governance and improving patient safety across the Nigerian health system.
MDCN, NMA, MDCAN keep mum, other react
The expected reactions from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), and Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on the growing cases of medical negligence never came.
However, the Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) being the umbrella body representing private hospital owners, managers, and healthcare investors across the country, opted for proper investigation in the incident at Lagos hospital that led to the death of Chimamanda Adichie’s son.
GMD National President, Dr. Abiodun Kuti, reportedly urged Nigerians to allow the ongoing investigations by relevant authorities to proceed transparently and without prejudice.
He said: “As a nation in mourning, we must hold two important principles at the same time: every patient and family deserves safety, dignity, transparency, and justice, while every healthcare professional and institution deserves due process, fairness, and protection from trial by social media.”
The FCT Chairman of the Guild, Dr. Iseko Iseko, also reportedly called for a broader national review of healthcare delivery, stressing the need for a more integrated approach between public and private providers.
“Nigeria urgently needs a National Healthcare Compact that treats public and private care as complementary parts of one system, aligned by enforceable standards, shared referral pathways, emergency protocols, and accountability mechanisms,” he said.
