Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has alleged serious medical negligence in the death of her young son, Nkanu, following a procedure at Euracare Hospital in Lagos on January 6.In a detailed personal account that has circulated publicly, Adichie said her son would be alive today if not for lapses in care during what should have been routine medical procedures. The account was confirmed by her media team after inquiries from ARISE NEWS.
The family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed symptoms initially thought to be a cold. His condition reportedly worsened into a severe infection, prompting admission to Atlantis Hospital, from where arrangements were made for an emergency medical evacuation to the United States scheduled for January 7.
Adichie’s account focuses on the medical care her son received prior to the planned evacuation, alleging that failures at Euracare Hospital contributed directly to his death. Her media team confirmed she authored the message, which was initially shared privately with family and a small circle of friends before becoming public.
According to Adichie, a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore had requested an MRI scan and lumbar puncture, while Nigerian doctors planned to insert a central line in preparation for the flight. Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital to carry out the procedures. Adichie said her son was sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While she waited outside the operating theatre, she observed medical personnel, including a senior doctor, rushing in, a moment she said immediately indicated something had gone wrong.
She was later informed that her son had received an excessive dose of propofol from the anesthesiologist, became unresponsive, and was resuscitated. He was then intubated, placed on a ventilator, and admitted to the intensive care unit. Seizures and cardiac arrest followed—conditions he had not previously experienced—and he died several hours later.
Adichie alleged that her son was not properly monitored after sedation, claiming that the anesthesiologist carried him without continuous observation, leaving unclear when he became unresponsive. She also stated that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off his oxygen before transporting him to the ICU. “How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she asked, describing the actions as criminally negligent and a breach of medical protocol.
Adichie added that Euracare Hospital had prior knowledge of at least two earlier cases involving alleged anesthetic overdoses by the same practitioner and questioned why he was allowed to continue practising. “This must never happen to another child,” she said. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of Africa’s most prominent literary figures, internationally acclaimed for novels such as Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah.
Source: https://www.thisdaylive.com/
