Justice is being sought by the family and friends of Chisom Anekwe, a pregnant mother of two and a LEAP Africa Alumnus, who died under questionable circumstances while giving birth to her third child at Magodo Specialist Hospital, Shangisha, Lagos, Nigeria.
The sad incident which occurred on the 30th of April is alleged to be due to a gross negligence on the part of the health care providers.
A call has been made on social media with the hashtag #Justice4Chisom, for a full-scale investigation into her death, and for justice to be served.
A member of LEAP Africa, Ahmed Alaga, shared the details leading up to the death of Anekwe in the said hospital.
Below is his full story:
This is Chisom Anekwe (nee Okereke), a young, vivacious, graceful, kind-hearted and intelligent woman who had devoted her life to helping indigent kids and giving their lives a meaning. She’s an alumna of LEAP Africa.
Two weeks ago, precisely April 30th 2017, Chisom died under questionable circumstances at Magodo Specialist Hospital while trying to birth her third offspring. We believe strongly that the authorities need to ensure that lives are taken sacred in hospitals like Magodo Specialist Hospital where such avoidable deaths are recorded.
Chisom was admitted in the hospital four days before she got into labour. She already had two daughters birthed in the same hospital and was there to birth her third child, a son. While at the hospital, no one attended to her when she needed the help to be delivered of the long awaited baby. She was left for hours in labour. This happened until her husband created a scene, which eventually caused the doctors to go to her ward and on inspection they found out that the baby had struggled and died.
The husband at this point requested for a CS which he paid for and even signed the consent form presented by the hospital. He was then tricked out of the room to go prepare for blood transfusion and on getting back, he found out that the doctors had induced the wife and delivered the dead baby without operation not minding that the CS procedure had been paid for. This was also without his consent.
During the process of delivering the baby, the placenta got ruptured and the doctors left her like that, no further attendance still. Shortly after, the husband noticed she was swelling up in her stomach area and called the attention of the doctors who said they were getting ready for a surgery, a preparation that took longer than usual.
After waiting in vain for the surgical team, the frustrated husband went furiously to the reception to demand why they were wasting time only to discover the doctor had sneaked out of the hospital under funny pretences. At this point he got other hospital staff to wheel her out of the hospital and in that process Chisom died!
This is the story of most young women who die while giving birth as a result of the callousness, ignorance and carelessness of inexperienced doctors.
In this era, we shouldn’t be talking about Child and Maternal Mortality especially when it can be avoided. This could have been avoided but it wasn’t and now Chisom Jane Anekwe is a victim and has been added to the statistics.
We demand:
1. That Magodo Specialist Hospital, Shangisha, Lagos, be investigated for their actions and the subsequent death of Chisom.
2. That both the Nigerian Medical Association NMA and the Medical and Dentist Council of Nigeria, MDCN ensure that supposed Specialist Hospitals who claim to have a resident Gynecologist are verified.
3. That there be justice for Chisom!
#SaveTheNextVICTIM
#Justice4Chisom
#Fight4OurDaughters
An online petition has been started to this effect. To sign the petition, click here.
