The death of a 34-year-old Tax Manager with Price Waters Coopers (PwC) Nigeria, Russel Eraga, has ignited public controversy and fresh debate over the quality of emergency care at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), with social media users and family supporters accusing the hospital of negligence.
The hospital, however, has strongly rejected the allegations, insisting that the patient arrived in a critical condition and was attended to immediately by a multidisciplinary team.
On Friday, it was gathered that Eraga’s death occurred after an alleged domestic accident led to severe blood loss before arriving at the hospital.
The death of the financial expert has dominated discussions in with many Nigerians including colleagues expressing shock and anger over what they described as a preventable tragedy.
While some alleged that the hospital did not have the required platelets at the time, and that delays in access to blood products worsened his condition, others claim that the hospital staff negligence led to the young man’s death.
It was learnt that the deceased was first stabilised before being moved to LASUTH, where he was said to have received blood transfusions.
Sources narrated that the hospital’s blood bank was expected to open later in the morning, while the patient reportedly suffered multiple cardiac arrests before the needed support could be obtained.
In a statement issued by LASUTH management to set the records straight, the hospital expressed sorrow over the death and extended condolences to the family, but maintained that there was no negligence or mismanagement in the handling of the case.
“Contrary to claims of negligence or mismanagement, the patient was referred from another hospital and arrived at LASUTH in a critical condition following a severe domestic accident with significant blood loss,” the statement said.
It added that he received emergency care from a multidisciplinary team, including blood resuscitation efforts and a complex vascular surgical procedure.
The hospital said all available interventions were deployed within the less than six hours the patient spent at the facility before his death.
It also stated that the severity of the injuries sustained was overwhelming, despite the efforts of medical and surgical teams.
LASUTH urged the public to refrain from circulating unverified information that could further deepen the grief of the bereaved family and affect the healthcare workers involved in the case.