Master Omonigho Abraham, the four year old boy who sustained extensive injuries to his body, and a life threatening injuries to his scalp following an attack by dogs has been discharged from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) by his father against medical advice, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has said.
The Commissioner stated that all attempts to talk Mr. Odia Abraham,
the father of the boy against taking this wrong step were rebuffed by
him as he also signed necessary papers to show his desperation.
Omonigho was in the Burns & Plastics unit of LASUTH where he
was receiving specialist treatment after a vicious dog attack at their
rented apartment at 35, Adegboyega Street, Akesan, Igando area of Lagos
State on the 29th of September 2014.
The Commissioner, who made the disclosure today while reviewing the
report of the plastic surgery specialists in LASUTH who attended to
Omonigho, stated that the boy’s father took ill-advised step and chose
to take his son out of the hands of the specialists on Friday, 28th of
November, 2014 against medical advice after being thoroughly counseled
that healthy granulation tissue growing on his son’s skull must not be
interrupted.
While explaining the involvement of the State government in the
management of Omonigho’s health, Idris said that the attention of the
present administration, particularly the Governor, was drawn to the case
of the boy, who was initially rushed to the Igando General Hospital,
where he was stabilized and wounds cleaned by the medical team at the
Accidents & Emergency ward of the hospital.
The Commissioner added that Omonigho was thereafter referred to the
Burns & Plastics unit of LASUTH where Specialists in Plastic
Surgery assessed him and promptly began to manage the life threatening
avulsion injuries on his scalp which left most of his skull exposed.
The plastic surgery team, he said, placed the boy on intravenous
medication, fluids and daily wound dressing in order to ensure that
healthy granulation tissue can grow and cover the scalp before a skin
graft can be successfully performed, stressing that the definitive
management of Omonigho’s type of extensive and deep wounds is a skin
graft.
He emphasized that when news of the sad and outrageous event was
brought to the notice of the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, he
immediately directed that young Omonigho be offered everything that will
ensure that he did not only survive the injuries, but recovers
optimally, so that the opportunity to reach his full potential is not
tarnished by the unfortunate accident.
He also explained that the directive by the Governor ensured that
Omonigho receives the best of care at no charge to his parents or family
members and that Mr. Abraham, was thereafter invited to the State
Ministry of Health where he received full re-imbursement for expenses he
incurred previously in the management of the son’s health.
“He was given a full exemption from paying any fees for the
management of his son’s health at LASUTH during his stay there and
Omonigho while recovering wrote a little “thank you” letter to the
Governor”, Idris noted.
He said while the boy was receiving care at LASUTH, he was also
visited by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who
spent time with him and his parents to ensure that they were adequately
taken care of, stressing that during her visit, she found young Omonigho
to be clinically stable and doing very well.
Idris averred that whilst conservative wound management was being
done in the Burns and Plastic Ward, in LASUTH, the State Government set
plans in motion to take Omonigho abroad for further management, where
all expenses incurred would be covered by the state government, and that
this was communicated to his parents who had close and continuous
contact with the Ministry of Health.
“After a thorough search, a suitable hospital was found that would
care for the young boy. The chosen facility was the RAK Hospital, Dubai
UAE. LASUTH established a communication channel with RAK Hospital and it
was determined that Omonigho would require a meshed skin graft coverage
of the exposed skull for the next phase of his management. The Governor
thus approved the funds for the management of Omonigho, which includes
traveling, feeding and accommodation at the RAK Hospital in Dubai, UAE”,
the Commissioner stated.
He noted that the boy’s father was promptly informed of the plan
and was invited to the State Ministry to discuss the details of the
approval, travel plans and hospital arrangements, and was thereafter
given a letter of approval stating the plans to fly his son abroad and
was asked to provide his son’s passport with an accompanying family
member in order to process visas and other travel requirements.
“However, Mr. Abraham informed us that a Non-Governmental
Organisation from Delta State has made arrangements to fly him and his
son for medical treatment at a hospital in India. He was counseled on
the benefits of receiving the package offered by the Lagos State
Government and was also advised to put forward his decision as soon as
possible so that the necessary arrangements can be made to transfer his
son and a family member of his choice to Dubai for the treatment”, the
Commissioner noted.
He added that the State government, in an effort to ensure the best
care possible for Omonigho, also offered to support Mr. Abraham if he
would rather go to India, in the hope that he would be getting the best
care possible from the unnamed hospital in India, being sponsored by the
NGO.
The Commissioner however disclosed that Mr. Abraham, for reasons
best known to him, chose to take his son out of the hands of the plastic
surgery specialists in LASUTH on Friday, 28th of November, 2014 against
medical advice.
According to him, “the surgical team explained to Mr. Abraham that
it was pertinent that the healthy granulation tissue growing on his
son’s skull through the careful, thorough and expert care of the Plastic
Surgery team must not be interrupted as this may cause infections to
set in, and slow the healing process, as well as, delay any definitive
reconstructive surgery. But Mr. Abraham unfortunately, took the
ill-advised step to leave the facility after being thoroughly counseled
by the specialist”,
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