How Pregnant Woman Was Allegedly Murdered In Cold Blood At FMC Asaba

An Asaba based surveyor, Mr. Ngozi Uchebuego, the husband whose pregnant wife, Rita Uchebuego, was allegedly murdered by alleged negligence of medical personnel of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, Delta State has called for the sack of Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma and four other medical personnel for their alleged villainous act.

Uchebuego who was obviously peeved over the death of his wife, Rita, stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Asaba Correspondents’ Office Thursday along with about 20 family members and lawyers to protest against the alleged “cold blood murder”, also called for the withdrawal of their practicing licenses as a way to stop them from further alleged killing of innocent mothers at the hospital.

The bereaved husband and father of twins-all baby girl-he got from the deceased wife said the medical personnel allegedly killed Rita, “the woman of my dream" as a result of their “negligence and abandonment”.

He explained with tears sluicing from his eyes that his Imo born wife was allegedly murdered by the doctors and nurses on call duty on March 9 2017, saying in pains that “the obvious act of the FMC Medical Personnel which led to the death of my wife fill me with so much grieve and a decision to ensure that the perpetrators must be brought to book”.

According to him, on the discovery of her pregnancy, we proceeded to register for ante natal services at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba wherein a patient’s card number FMCP/0270822 was issued to my wife” disclosing that one Dr. Ojenuwa Sunday Abiodun was assigned to his wife as consultant to oversees her wellbeing till she delivered.

He said: “Dr. Maduakor became my wife’s doctor by virtue of which he conducted series of tests on her in respect of her pregnancy and from one of such test results, he Dr. Maduakor told me that my wife has blood shortage issues in her pregnancy because she was carrying twins”.

He said that the following day being March 7, 2017, he requested his mother in-law to join him at the hospital upon his returned from a site where he had gone to deliver a job he completed, but to his surprise he met his wife passing through excruciating pains, and her stomach visibly moving faster while her screaming lasted.

“This made me terrified, and so I inquired to know what the problem was but was told that she had been induced by the nurse on duty on Dr. Ojenuwa’s instruction, I did not know what it meant to be induced” the visibly angry Uchebuego told journalists.

Narrating further, Uchebuego said he was shocked when it was revealed to him that inducement can only be done when permission had been sought, and obtained from the expecting mother, and her husband, adding that he was unsettled and immediately requested to see Dr. Ojenuwa rather his efforts to see him met a brick wall as he was nowhere near the hospital premises.

He said: “this put me in a position where I was left in the dark so I demanded to know why they induced my wife when they earlier told her that they were only admitting her to monitor her blood pressure, and her EDD was still far away but the nurses asked me to calm down that my wife would soon put to bed”.

He added that his wife on March 8, 2017 was rushed into the labour ward where she was allegedly forced to push but yielded no positive result when she tried and failed, and was booked for an emergency cesarean section after she had suffered two failed unauthorized inducements.

During her labour process, Uchebuego alleged that his inquiry as to who performs the cesarean operation turned out to be Dr. Maduakor his wife private doctor; a situation he breathed a sigh of relief but waited endlessly for Dr. Maduakor who refused to show up adding that after a while one Dr. Adigba came into the labour ward and performed the operation after two pints of blood donated to her.

He said he "met the wife struggling with Oxygen fixed on her, and fearfully beckoning on him to come and assist her on his returned to the hospital on March 9, 2017 from his house but could not do much as he did not know anything about oxygen neither does he know how to fix it, rather he shouted for help only for one Nurse Egbuobi to have shouted back at him; a situation he suspected a foul play, and no sooner he was praying the wife, she gave up the ghost.

“Since my wife gave up the ghost, I have getting strange calls to my life, and I have vowed to get to the root cause” he alleged.

His Lawyer, Mr. Dumbili Chinonso Emmanuel also said "that though investigations were ongoing following their petitions to various stakeholders, adding that it was crystal clear based on oath of Dr. Ojenuwa and Dr. Maduakor at the Federal High Court Asaba that the hospital’s negligence and willful act resulted in the death of Mrs. Rita Uchebuego".

Emmanuel added that the hospital’s Acting Medical Director, Dr. Victor Osiatuma allegedly gave series of contradictions in his reports, saying that his reply to the body constituted to investigate their petitions were in variance with their findings.

But the Medical Director, Dr. Osiatuma who confirmed the death at FMC, Asaba said "two man external panel constituting Prof. Fasuba of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital and Dr. Ande of UBTH were called in to investigate the death of Rita, saying the report of the panel had been submitted at Medical and Dental Council, appealing that the deceased’s husband should be cautioned.