Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a distinguished Nigerian writer, has accused a hospital in Lagos of obstructing an post-mortem into the circumstances surrounding the dying of her child son.
Adichie mentioned ceremonial companies for her 21-month-old son Enkunau, who died at Euracare Hospital in January, had been scheduled to start in April.
The writer has now requested the Federal Excessive Court docket of Nigeria to halt the inquest, claiming that Euracare is “stalled, confused and obfuscated” over the inquest.
The BBC has contacted Euracare for remark. A fee of inquiry arrange by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council had beforehand discovered proof of doable medical negligence by the hospital.
Adichie just lately revealed on social media a letter he despatched to the hospital director in April.
That is her first public remark since her son, considered one of twins born utilizing a surrogate mom, died in 2024.
“If Euracare cares concerning the reality, why are they inflicting delays, confusion, and now lastly making an attempt to cancel the post-mortem?” she wrote in her submit.
Explaining why she posted the letter, she wrote: “The last word and full loneliness of grief is that solely you may know the true depth of your despair.
“I at the very least need peace to mourn, however Euracare Hospital took even that away from me.”
Adichie mentioned within the letter that the hospital indicated that her son’s reason for dying was bacterial meningitis, to which Adichie responded that there was “no medical proof to make such a declare on the dying certificates.”
Adichie and her household have accused Euracare of negligence, saying medical staff failed to supply Nkanu with oxygen and gave him an excessive amount of sedation, inflicting cardiac arrest.
The hospital expressed its “deepest condolences” over the dying, however denied any wrongdoing and mentioned its remedy was in keeping with worldwide requirements.
In her letter, she accused the hospital of offering incomplete medical data, calling them “stunningly unprofessional,” including that “considered one of them was inaccurate.”
In line with a court docket submitting by Adichie’s legal professionals, Nkanu was initially admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos with gentle however worsening signs.
Plans had been in place to move the toddler to the US for additional remedy at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore earlier than being referred to Euracare for pre-flight testing, together with an MRI, spinal faucet and lumbar puncture.
Nkanu died on January 7 after present process varied diagnostic exams at Euracare Hospital.
Adichie has written a number of award-winning novels, together with Half of a Yellow Solar (2006) and Americanah (2013), and just lately hosted a panel dialogue with world leaders, together with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had been selling her autobiography.
She lives in the US however was in Nigeria for the Christmas holidays.
