Renowned Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has made an emotional allegation following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, blaming what she described as grave hospital negligence.
The celebrated author shared the painful account on social media, stating that her son would still be alive if proper medical care had been provided.
The disclosure has since drawn widespread attention, sympathy, and renewed concern over patient safety in Nigeria’s private healthcare system.
According to Adichie, the family was in Lagos for Christmas when the toddler developed symptoms initially believed to be mild.
However, the situation reportedly worsened rapidly and led to his admission at Atlantis Hospital.
“We were in Lagos for Christmas. Nkanu had what we first thought was just a cold, but soon turned into a very serious infection, and he was admitted to Atlantis Hospital,” she wrote.
She explained that plans were already in motion to transfer the child to the United States for advanced treatment.
“He was to travel to the US the next day, January 7th, accompanied by travelling doctors. A team at Johns Hopkins was waiting to receive him in Baltimore,” Adichie said.
However, events reportedly took a tragic turn during a medical procedure at Euracare Hospital.
She noted that doctors requested an MRI and a lumbar puncture. In addition, a central line was planned in preparation for the flight.
“We were told he would need to be sedated,” she said, adding that she was waiting outside the theatre when she noticed unusual movement.
“I saw people, including Dr M, rushing into the theatre and immediately knew something had happened.”
Adichie recounted being informed that her son had been overdosed with propofol. “A short time later, Dr M came out and told me Nkanu had been given too much propofol by the anesthesiologist,” she stated.
Moreover, she alleged that critical monitoring protocols were ignored. “It turns out that Nkanu was never monitored after being given too much propofol,” she wrote. “How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?”
The situation reportedly escalated, leading to seizures, cardiac arrest, and eventual death. “Some hours later, Nkanu was gone,” she said.
Adichie described the anesthesiologist as “CRIMINALLY negligent,” accusing him of careless conduct and failure to follow standard procedures.
Furthermore, she revealed claims of similar past incidents. “We have now heard about two previous cases of this same anesthesiologist overdosing children. Why did Euracare allow him to keep working?”
The author ended her statement with a plea for accountability. “This must never happen to another child,” she said, adding, “I will never survive the loss of my child.”
Meanwhile, condolences continue to pour in from across the world. However, the allegations have also intensified calls for stricter regulation and oversight in Nigerian hospitals.
