'I watch as my husband dey struggle to breath' - wife of man wey die of alleged hospital negligence for Port Harcourt

Madam Victoria Edenogie, family members and friends still dey in shock afta her late husband Kelvin Osagie Edenogie die after one surgical procedure.

Family dey alleged negligence as cause of im death but di chairman of di Nigeria Medical Association, Rivers State, Dr. Robinson Ebbi say na complication wey arise from di surgery kill am.

Di late Kelvin Edenogie die on 24 January 2023, at di age of 32, afta im go hospital for im right Thyroid gland surgery for im throat.

According to im widow, na afta two postponements sake of say dem dey wait for di consultant surgeon, di surgery finally happun on Monday and her husband die early Tuesday morning.

She dey in tears as she tell BBC Pidgin say "I see my husband dey struggle to breath, I dey shout, I call nurses and di resident doctor but all of dem no know wetin to do, we call di doctor wey do di surgery for phone but im say im dey stay far say im no go fit come"

Wetin really happun?

Madam Edenogie say her husband don dey consult wit di hospital since about im right Thyriod gland wey get imflammation sake of say na dia be im Health Maintenance Organisation(HMO).

Di issue don dey for long even before she marry am, but e no dey disturb am like dat so dem feel say no need to do di surgery.

She add say she bin no want make im do di surgery becos she dey fear hospital cos of her past experience.

"Di surgery suppose be on 20 Friday, January, 2023, my husband don already take leave from im office. Im dey work wit Bolt as a Customer Care Specialist, im no be Bolt Driver as pipo dey tok.

Afta surgery and di road to death

Madam Victoria tok say di surgery bin dey successful, her husband don begin dey concious, im friends and im parents come too, all of dem dey gist to make di place lively and her husband dey respond wit im eyes, dey even try adjust im body for bed until wen dem plug di machine wey go dey read im blood pressure and oda vitals na wen she notice say all di nurses and doctors allegedly dey go house.

"Dem plug di machine wey go dey read im blood pressure and oda tins come tell me to monitor am, na dat time I notice say all of dem dey go.

I call one of dem, to tell dem say at least di doctor and nurse wey do di surgery suppose dey around na, make all of dem no go, but di nurse say pipo dey wey go take care of am.

I siddon very close to am so dat if im make any move I go know." She tok.

She say dem put two Carthethar for im body, one for blood one for urine, but she notice say di one for blood full well well.

"Di Carthethar for blood over full, im lips don dey yellow like pesin wey no get blood, one doctor come check on am, come confam say di blood too much for pesin to lose for dis time of minor surgery, say make dem give am blood. Afta dem give am blood im lip stop to dey yellow.'' She narrate.

She say afta 15-20 minutes she ring di bell to call di nurse , and ask di nurse to call di doctor again as she explain to am say she no tink say di blood dey flow well.

She narrate say na around 4 a.m in di morning her husband jump from im sleep, tell her say 'Babe I no fit breath' im get to force imsef to tok for di first time.

"Wen my husband tell me say im no fit breath, I begin ring di bell like mad woman to call di attention of di nurses, I tell dem say im no fit breath, e be like say di blood clot.

''Dem say make dem empty am di one wey don full, dem neva even empty dat one finish, di one wey dem dey give am don clot too.''

She say na from dat 4 a.m she begin call evribody nobody dey pick, by dis time ''im neck dey look full and strong'' and she feel like make dem drag evritime comot make di blood flow, but di resident doctor allegedly say im go risk infection.

''I no be medical doctor so I no fit insist, so all dis while di blood no dey flow since, di resident doctor begin call surgeon but di surgeon no dey pick.

Wen di surgeon finally pick di call I bin dey expect am to direct di resident doctor on wetin to do from di phone sef, but im tok say wia im dey far and im no go fit come say im go call pesin wey dey nearby.

"I continue to beg di resident doctor to free di place make my husband fit breath, evriwia dey chaotic wit confusion dem no know wetin to do, na so my husband take die for my front.

Di call for Justice

Afta di death of Kelvin Osagie Edenogie, one group, E- Drivers Community Initiative(EDCI) cari 'we no go gree' waka go di hospital premises to seek for justice for dia former secretary.

President of di group Enujuba Anthony tell BBC Pidgin say, dem need answer from di hospital na why dem protest.

Oga Anthony say im lack words to describe di kain of pesin wey Kelvin be befor im death.

"Im be one of our finest, im dey good to a fault, if you wan do any gathering and ask who go come dia first, na Kelvin.

Oda E-Hailing driver groups join us for di protest sake of say im don influence dem positively."

Wen im wife raise alarm dem bin get enough time to do something, infact even Ambulance sef di hospital no get,' e claim.

Father of di deceased Dominic Edenojie wey be retired Civil servant tell BBC Pidgin say "I go seek legal action against di hospital afta my consultations''

“Di hospital management neva invite me or my wife to say dis na wetin happun Na me pay for di ambulance.' im tok in anger.

Meanwhile tok-tok pesin for di Rivers State Police Command Grace Iringe -Koko tell BBC Pidgin say dem dey aware of di inicudent but "di man neva officially report di mata to di police, na until im report dem go issue statement from wetin im tell dem officially."

She promise to find out from di Police station wey di hospital invite to come barricade di hospital so dat di E-Drivers no go fit protest for di hospital premises.

'Na complication kill am, no be negligence' - NMA

As di mata dey go BBC Pidgin contact di management of di clinic on phone to hear dia own side of di tori.

In response, di hospital management tell our coreespondent say" hospital issues dey confidential contact di Chairman of di Nigeria Medical Association". Di Admin pesin tok.

BBC Pidgin also contact di chairman of di Nigeria Medical Association, Rivers State, Dr. Robinson Ebbi wey explain say wetin kill Oga Osagie Edenogie na complications wey arise from di surgery and not hospital negligence.

"I go tok categorically say di patient (Late Kelvin Osagie Edenogie) bin get appointment, dem postpone di appointment, however im come in for di surgery and somehow complications wey associate wit di surgery dey and di patient no fit make am. And e no make di doctor liable."

E claim say di hospital don explain to di families say na complications kill am.

“Dem even explain to di families di complexities wey happun for di surgery, di papa of di deceased forget say im sign consent form and di consent form state clearly say complications fit dey na why you dey give your consent." E tok.

Ebbi say im bin go on "fact finding to di hospital to also know if true true negligence dey, and make dem take di right direction and pursue di negligence in di right perspective".

"As medical practitioners and health care givesr we dey see and analyse di situation more dan wetin dem dey see.

Na three tins wey fit happun either di pesin well go house, or di serious challenge go kill am or di hospital to refer am go anoda hospital wia im go get beta care if dem no fit handle di serious medical challenge."

"Make society stop to tink say becos pesin die for hospital na negligence cause am. Negligence big pass wetin pipo tink."

"Becos you tok wit am, im dey okay before im enta for surgery, you know wetin di surgery be? You know di complications wey dey ahead of di surgery? You know how complex di surgery dey? You know know, but if di pesin recover go back house nobody dey tink about di doctor."

E say process and procedures dey wey di Nigeria Medical Association dey use handle grieviances.

"If anybody or di family get grieviances clear channels dey to pursue or report such grieviances and no be to put di faces of doctors ontop social media to accuse dem of murder. E dey criminal and unacceptable by di Nigeria Medical Association we no dey accept such tins."

Kelvin Osagie Edenogie profile

Kelvin Osagie Edenogie from, Edo State, Sourthern Nigeria.

Dem born am on 1 March, 1991.

Na graduate of Federal University of Technology, FUTO wia im study Agriculture.

Na di first son of im family, and im get three oda siblings.

Im marry Victoria Osagie Edenogie for 11 September, 2021, dia marriage na just one year and few months, dem neva born any pikin.

Kelvin bin dey work wit Bolt as a Customer Care Specialist, Port Harcourt branch, im no be Cab driver as oda tori pipo dey tok.

Im also be di former Secretary of di E-Drivers Community Initiative.

Im dey music department, Potter's Treasure for im church, House on the Rock, Port Harcourt.