Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Photo: X
Celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has shared a deeply painful account of how her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, died after a medical procedure in Lagos, raising serious questions about patient safety and medical accountability in Nigeria.
In a detailed personal narrative, Adichie said her family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a mild cold.
His condition, however, quickly worsened into a severe infection, leading to his admission at Atlantis Hospital.
Plans were already in place for the child to travel to the United States on January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors, where a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore was on standby.
Ahead of the journey, doctors recommended an MRI, a lumbar puncture, and the insertion of a central line to prepare for treatment during travel.
Atlantis Hospital referred the family to Euracare Hospital, described to them as the best facility for the procedures.
According to Adichie, Nkanu was sedated on the morning of January 6 to prevent movement during the MRI. Moments later, she noticed medical staff rushing into the theatre.
She was informed that the anesthesiologist had administered too much propofol, causing Nkanu to become unresponsive.
What followed, she said, was a cascade of medical emergencies that had never occurred before: ventilation, ICU admission, seizures, cardiac arrest, and eventually, death.
Adichie alleges that her son was never properly monitored after sedation and that critical safety protocols were ignored.
She further claims the same anesthesiologist had been linked to previous cases involving overdosing of children, questioning why he was allowed to continue practicing.
Adichie described the loss as unbearable, calling it “living your worst nightmare,” and demanded accountability to ensure no other family endures a similar tragedy.