A 65-year-old woman, Margaret Mowalola Akinduntire, has died under contentious circumstances, with her family accusing the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) of negligence and unnecessary delays in her medical care.
According to her family, Mrs. Akinduntire’s condition worsened after LASUTH allegedly postponed a crucial surgical procedure due to the Ramadan fasting period. This delay followed complications from a previous surgery, during which a surgical needle was reportedly left inside her body.
Her son, who detailed what he described as a decade-long ordeal, said the family’s troubles began in 2013 when Mrs. Akinduntire underwent surgery at LASUTH to remove her right kidney.
“A year later, she started feeling sharp pains at the surgical site. When we went back to LASUTH, they opened her up again—this time without anesthesia—and found a surgical needle that had been left inside her from the earlier operation,” he said.
Despite the severity of the oversight, the family chose not to pursue legal action at the time.
In 2024, following a successful leg surgery and a new diagnosis of fibroids, they returned to LASUTH seeking immediate intervention. However, they claim doctors refused to carry out the procedure until after Ramadan, even as her condition rapidly deteriorated.
“She was losing weight, her stomach was bloated, and her condition kept getting worse. We had to look elsewhere for help,” her son said.
After being turned away by another hospital due to a missing medical file, she was temporarily stabilized at a private clinic in Agege. In a bid to get urgent attention, the family took to social media and tagged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Soon after, LASUTH reportedly found the missing file and resumed treatment.
The family alleges that internal sources at the hospital later revealed the file had been deliberately hidden. “They said she was a hopeless case and not worth the effort,” the son claimed.
Despite the renewed efforts, Mrs. Akinduntire died on Wednesday at LASUTH’s Surgical Emergency Unit, without undergoing the surgery her family believes could have saved her life.
Responding to the allegations, LASUTH strongly denied any wrongdoing. The hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, described the family’s claims as “untrue” and “baseless.”
Prof. Adebowale Adekoya, also of LASUTH, added that the family had been regularly updated and insisted that surgeries were conducted at the hospital throughout the Ramadan period.
