Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused Euracare Hospital in Lagos of grave medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, during a routine medical procedure on January 6.
Chimamanda, in a personal account confirmed by her media team, said her son would still be alive but for what she described as critical lapses in care, including fatal sedation errors and lack of proper monitoring.
Family in Lagos for Christmas Holidays
According to Chimamanda, the family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed symptoms initially thought to be a common cold.
His condition worsened into a severe infection, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital.
Arrangements were made for an emergency medical evacuation to the United States on January 7, with a team from Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, ready to receive him.
The team had requested an MRI scan and lumbar puncture, while Nigerian doctors also planned to insert a central line to aid intravenous treatment during the flight.
Sedation and Critical Incident at Euracare Hospital
The family was referred to Euracare Hospital for the procedures.
Chimamanda recounted that her son was sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion.
While waiting outside the theatre, she noticed unusual activity and medical staff rushing in, immediately raising concern.
“A short time later,” she said, “I was told that Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist, became unresponsive, and was resuscitated.”
He was then intubated, placed on a ventilator, and admitted to the ICU.
Alleged Medical Negligence
Chimamanda alleged that her son was never properly monitored after sedation.
She said the anesthesiologist carried him without continuous observation, making it unclear when he became unresponsive.
She further claimed that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s 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 clear breach of medical protocol.
She also accused the anesthesiologist of being fatally casual and careless with the precious life of a child.
Tragic Outcome
Despite efforts to stabilize him, Nkanu developed seizures and cardiac arrest, conditions he had never experienced before, and died several hours later.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day,”Chimamanda said. “We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”
Describing the loss as her “worst nightmare”, she lamented the circumstances surrounding his death.
Concerns Over Anesthesiologist’s Track Record
Chimamanda further alleged that Euracare Hospital had prior knowledge of at least two previous incidents 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.
As of the time of filing this report, Euracare Hospital and the medical personnel involved have not issued an official response.