A heartbroken Imo Monarch who lost his 27-year old Pharmacist-son at the National Hospital, Abuja, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to close down the Hospital.
Eze Emeka Ogbonna, also a Pharmacist, and the Traditional Ruler of Ama-,Inyi Community in Ihitte/Uboma, Local Government Area, lamented that he dropped his son, Prince Obinna Emeka Ogbonna, at the Imo Airport on the 31st March, 2023, to fly to Abuja for a meeting, and flew down to Abuja on 2nd April, 2023, to take his body home from the National Hospital Abuja.
“They watched my son die. I have lost my son, the writer, my Prince, my Pharmacist who worked with me in our Pharmacy till March 31, 2023”, he wept.
In deed, the young Pharmacist’s death is attributable to the sorry state of health system in Nigeria where a General Hospital would have no doctor on duty, and where the Nation’s premier Government Hospital would have no functioning scan and x-ray machines.
According to the devastated father, his son, Prince (Pharmacist)Obinna Emeka Ogbonna, was knocked down at about 7.10pm in the Kubwa area of Abuja, and was rushed to the General Hospital, Kubwa. But, on getting there, there was no doctor on duty. After three hours, a doctor came, and referred him to the National Hospital.
At the National Hospital, the doctors refused to attend to him, and insisted on a full body scan and X-ray. Sadly, none of those was in a working condition in the hospital. They were forced to go to a private hospital for the procedures. He said that on return to the National Hospital, it took them another two hours for documentation before taking him in for treatment, after which they came out, and casually told his friends who took him to the hospital “sorry, he couldn’t make it.”
Eze Ogbonna said he lost his son to incompetence and negligence on the part of the Medical Doctors on duty. He described the National Hospital as a death trap and asked the Nigerian Government to close it down because “it is mainly a death trap.”
His story: “At the National Hospital, the doctors insisted that he would not be attended to until they had his full body scan and x-ray.
“The body scan and x-ray Machines in the National Hospital were not working and have not been working for close to two years.
“He was taken to a private hospital to obtain the full body scan, and when my son, Pharmacist Obinna Emeka, was brought back to National Hospital, it took the hospital medical team close to two hours for documentation before he was taken in for medical attention.
“At this time, his veins had collapsed. The medical team after watching my son gradually stop breathing came out and announced to his friends and people who brought him to the hospital that they were sorry, my son, the writer, my Prince, my pharmacist who worked with me in our pharmacy till March 31, 2023 could not make it.”
Mourning his son, Eze Ogbonna said, “I am in pains. Before his death in National Hospital, Pharmacist Obinna was a prolific writer and pharmacist with Ziga Pharmacy Ltd. He wrote his first book, Ice Age, when he was in primary school. In February 2023, he submitted his manuscript for his newest book to a prominent publishing house. He was 27 years old.
“I am in pains. I took my son to Owerri airport on March 31, 2023 from where he flew to Abuja for a meeting and I flew to Abuja on April 2, 2023, to take his corpse back home from the National Hospital mortuary. He was full of life. I have lost my son to incompetence and negligence.
He then protested to the Nigerian government to: “Please to prevent further preventable deaths, close down National Hospital because it is mainly a death trap.”
Incidentally, a number of people have complained about the poor attitude to work of medical personnel at the National Hospital. Lamented one woman whose son, an Architect died due to the poor attitude of Nurses at hospital: “If you don’t know anybody at the National Hospital, you are finished. They don’t care. Nobody cares.”
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