Father withdraws boy attacked by dogs from LASUTH
Omonigho
Abraham, the four-year-old boy who was attacked by two German shepherd
dogs in the Igando area of Lagos State, has been withdrawn from the
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Omonigho was on Friday last week, flown to an Indian hospital for treatment.
Our correspondent had exclusively
reported that the dogs belonging to his parents’ landlord, Stanley
Wesley, pursued Omonigbo and his two older brothers, Osemudiamen (7) and
Bobby (13).
While the brothers escaped by jumping down from the one-storey building, the victim was savagely bitten by the dogs.
PUNCH Metro reported that the dogs chew off his scalp and exposed his skull.
Our correspondent reported that his
admission at the LASUTH was marred with claims of abandonment and at a
point, the victim’s father, Mr. Odia, said his son’s condition had
worsened due to negligence.
The hospital management had promised to
take better care of Omonigho, adding that the state’s governor,
Babatunde Fashola, had instructed that the government should bear all
the cost of his treatment.
However, PUNCH Metro gathered on Monday that the victim had been withdrawn from the state’s medical facility and flown abroad for further treatment.
Odia told our correspondent that the
Delta State Government and a non-governmental organisation in Abuja,
Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care, GIPLC, teamed up to make the
travel possible.
Odia said, “He was taken from LASUTH on Friday en route to India for treatment. His mother went with him.
“They travelled in the evening and they
have arrived at the place. LASUTH has done the best it could. He was
flown out by the Delta State Government and an NGO.
“I followed due process and attempted
meeting with the Chief Medical Director, but he was not on seat. I later
saw the clinical director who was happy with the news. I met with every
one of them one-on-one and they welcome it.”
When contacted, the national leader of
the GIPLC, Nuhu Kwajafa, said the group took interest in Omonigho’s case
after reading the report online.
He said, “We saw his case online and
contacted his father. We were able to raise an initial sum of N1.5m,
which we gave to the family.
“Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State also came in to help in his travel abroad.”
He added that the treatment would take about a month.
However, the Lagos State Government has
said Omonigho’s withdrawal from the Burns and Plastics unit of LASUTH
was against medical advice.
The Commissioner for Health, Mr. Jide
Idris, in a statement on Monday, said the victim’s father was
“desperate” and rebuffed all explanations that the boy’s healing was a
gradual process.
The statement read in part, “While
conservative wound management was being done in the Burns and Plastic
Ward in LASUTH, the Lagos State Government set plans in motion to take
Omonigho abroad for further management, where all expenses incurred
would be covered by the government.
“His parents were informed of every step of the process, and 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, United Arab Emirate.
“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.
“Governor Babatunde Fashola approved the
funds for the management of Omonigho, which includes traveling, feeding
and accommodation at the Rak Hospital in Dubai, UAE.”
The commissioner said Omonigho’s father
after agreeing to all the travel plans, suddenly announced that he would
fly out his son to India.
He said efforts to assist in the India
trip was rejected by Odia, who insisted that the Delta State Government
and the NGO had decided to bear all the cost.
Idris said report from the surgical team
responsible for the victim’s treatment showed that the boy’s health
might be at risk if his ongoing treatment was interrupted.
“But Odia unfortunately, took the
ill-advised step to leave the facility after being thoroughly counseled
by the specialist,” he added.
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