Medical Director, Excel Medical Centre wife charged for negligence
Admin l Tuesday, May 28, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – Dr Ejike Ferdinand Orji, the medical director of Excel Medical Centre Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos and his Doctor wife, Dr (Mrs) Ifeayinwa Grace Orji were today arraigned before a Lagos High Court, sitting in Igbosere on a 3-count charge of of causing grievous harm, recklessness and negligence.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, counsel to the defendants, Mr. KC Okho told the court that he has a bail application and that the prosecutor has been served. He appealed to the court to allow him move same. After arguments on the bail application and the prosecution’s opposition, Justice Adedayo Akintoye granted bail to the two accused persons in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties.
Sureties must be persons gainfully employed with evidence of three years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. Justice Akintoye also held that the residential address as well as the office addresses of the sureties must be verified by the court Deputy Registrar. In the three counts criminal charge filed by the state counsel, Babatunde Sunmonu before Justice Akintoye,
Dr Orji and his wife were alleged to have on or about July 26, 2018 at Excel Medical Centre, Plot 458, Corporate Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos caused one Somtochukwu Ezi-Ashi (male) grievous harm by fixing a Plaster of Paris (POP) cast too tightly on his leg.
The accused Medical director and his wife were also alleged to have at the same time and place within the Lagos judicial division, not being an orthopaedic specialists recklessly administered orthopaedic medical treatment to Somtochukwu Ezi-Ashi. The offence committed is said to be be contrary to section 251 (1) (c) of the criminal code chC17 Volume 3 Laws of Lagos State , 2015.
Count three of the charge alleged that the defendant at their medical centre were negligent in administering treatment on Somtochukwu Ezi-Ashi, thereby causing him harm to his leg. It would be recalled that Doctor, Ejike Orji, who allegedly use saw to cut open a Plaster of Paris (PoP) on his patient’s leg, had sometimes in September, 2018 been arraigned before an Igbosere Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
The defendants were alleged to have wounded Somitochukwu Ezi-Ashi, age 16, while using the saw on him.
Mr and Mrs. Isioma Ezi-Ashi, had written a petition claiming that the defendant did an orthopaedic operation on their son without their consent. He added that after the operation, the victim complained of discomfort and asked that the POP be relaxed, but the defendant refused.
This, according to him, resulted in the teenager becoming unconscious and he was subsequently rushed to Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island, where he was immediately taken to the theatre.
At Reddington he said, it was discovered that the defendant sawed off the POP and damaged the muscles in the lower part of the boy’s leg, his foot and toes with wide open sores that were at the initial stage of becoming “compartmentalized”.
The boy underwent four major surgeries and following his critical condition, two orthopaedic surgeons from the United States of America (USA) evacuated the dead muscle from the leg.
“It was a major struggle to save the boy’s life,” he said, adding that Ezi-Ashi had been flown to the USA for further medical attention.
But the defendant’s counsel, K.C. Okho, prayed the court to discountenance the allegations, as it was premature for the prosecution to go into the merits of the case.
