Crime
How My Son Died Due to a Doctor’s Negligence at Euracare Hospital – Chimamanda
By Admin
Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has recounted the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of one of her 21-month-old twin sons, alleging gross medical negligence by an anesthesiologist at Euracare Hospital, Lagos.
“We brought in our child—my son—who was ill but stable and scheduled to travel the next day.
The author disclosed that the heartbreaking event occurred on January 6, 2026, and that the pain of losing her child remains unbearable.
In a detailed statement released on Friday, January 10, Chimamanda narrated the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.
According to her, the family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when her son, Nkanu, developed symptoms initially believed to be a common cold. His condition rapidly deteriorated into a severe infection, prompting his admission to Atlantis Hospital.
Nkanu was scheduled to travel to the United States on January 7 under the care of traveling doctors, where a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was on standby to receive him. The U.S. team had requested a lumbar puncture and an MRI, while the Nigerian medical team planned to insert a central line to enable intravenous medication during the flight.
Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital, reportedly the most suitable facility to carry out the procedures.
On the morning of January 6, the family moved Nkanu to Euracare, carried in his father’s arms. They were informed that sedation was necessary to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion.
Chimamanda said she was waiting outside the theatre when she noticed unusual activity, including the hurried movement of medical personnel, which immediately raised alarm.
Shortly afterward, a doctor informed her that Nkanu had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, rendering him unresponsive. Although resuscitated, the child was placed on a ventilator, intubated, and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.
She was later told that her son suffered seizures and subsequently went into cardiac arrest—complications he had never experienced before. Hours later, Nkanu was pronounced dead.
Further revelations indicated that after the overdose, Nkanu was not properly monitored. The anesthesiologist reportedly carried the child casually on his shoulder to the theatre, leaving uncertainty about when he became unresponsive.
“How can a sick child be sedated and left unmonitored?” Chimamanda asked. She further alleged that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s oxygen and again carried him on his shoulder to the ICU.
She described the actions of the anesthesiologist as criminally negligent, stating that established medical protocols were blatantly ignored.
The author also revealed that the family later learned of two previous cases involving the same anesthesiologist overdosing children, questioning why Euracare Hospital allowed him to continue practicing.
“This must never happen to another child,” she said.
