Missing Intestine: Private Medical Doctors Fault Lagos Assembly Panel

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Lagos State chapter, has faulted the report of the panel by the state House of Assembly to investigate the missing intestine of the late 12-year-old Adebola Akin-Bright.

It noted that the absence of a doctor for the investigation made the panel’s job difficult.

The association also brushed off the call to arrest the private doctor who carried out the surgery on the now-deceased boy.

ANPMP expressed displeasure through a statement signed by its state chairman, Dr. Makinde Akinlemibola, and the General Secretary, Debo Adebiyi.

It added: “There is no rationale to call for the doctor’s arrest for simply doing his job, especially when the government hospital involved and his personnel are left untouched.

“The honourable members of the panel also demonstrated a clear case of witch-hunt and working to a predetermined answer by attempting to reduce it to a ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ session for our member from the private hospital.”

ANPMP claimed that the doctor from the government hospital managing the deceased was given the latitude to share a detailed report.

ANPMP said: “The bias was taken to a ridiculous level when the same doctor who operated on the patient at the government hospital was asked to assess and determine the response of the doctor who operated on the patient in the private hospital-a case of being a judge in your own case.

“Of course, the doctor, seeing the absurdity of the request, cleverly declined.”

According to ANPMP, the Ministry of Health (HEFAMAA) set up a similar panel earlier and had a surgeon on the seat confirm that the X-ray films taken while the patient was on admission at LASUTH showed the presence of the intestines.

“Information available to us also confirms that a large mass of black tissue was removed at LASUTH and handed to the patient’s mother to take to the histopathology laboratory by the team that operated on him at LASUTH after they came out of the theatre.

“Strangely, the government, through HEFAMAA, rushed to seal up the theatre of the private hospital, while the government hospital where the patient was operated on and eventually died was left to continue to operate as if nothing happened,” it condemned.

It insisted that matters of this nature deserve thorough investigation by a well-constituted professional team.

The statement continued: “The only body empowered by law to investigate such cases is the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

ANPMP said it is monitoring the events closely as they unfold, adding: “We are ready to follow this to a logical conclusion to stop this attitude of vilifying private medical practice at every opportunity.

“We have followed with keen interest the trending case of the alleged missing intestine. We are concerned by the misconceptions, half-truths and outright falsehoods being peddled in the media.”

The association also sympathised with the family of Adebola Akin-Bright, who was first operated on at Obitoks Hospital on March 6, 2023, for a ruptured appendix after a reference from a medical centre where he was managed for typhoid enteritis.

He was afterwards admitted to LASUTH on June 17, where he was operated on July 14, 28.

“It is therefore, strange how the story of the missing/disappearing intestine gained prominence in the media in a patient who was on admission in LASUTH for almost 28 days.

“The question then is how did the patient survive for 28 days without intestine?” it asked.

The association also argued that an ultrasound scan and X-ray done at LASUTH on June 19 confirmed the presence of normal intestinal movement.