The shocking death of Aishatu Umar at a government-owned hospital in Kano State has once again exposed the serious gaps in patient safety and medical professionalism in Nigeria. Umar, a mother of five, underwent surgery at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, only for surgical scissors to be reportedly left inside her body during the procedure. Months of persistent pain went largely untreated, and she ultimately died during a corrective operation.
Reports indicate that Umar complained of severe abdominal pain for months after her initial surgery. Instead of thorough investigation, she was repeatedly given painkillers. Only shortly before her death were scans conducted revealing the foreign object. The Kano State Hospitals Management Board has since suspended the medical personnel involved and referred the case to the Medical Ethics Committee for further investigation.
Risk Management Failures in Nigerian Hospitals
From an HSE perspective, this tragedy reveals systemic failures in basic risk control measures. Proper surgical protocols, including instrument counts before and after surgery, are standard worldwide to prevent such accidents. Ignoring these protocols is not simply human error but a sign of deeper operational weaknesses.
Negligence in hospitals has claimed countless lives in Nigeria, often unreported due to fear or lack of resources. Delayed responses to patient complaints exacerbate complications, turning treatable conditions into fatalities.
Professional Responsibility and Ethical Standards
Medical practice demands absolute care, discipline, and adherence to safety standards. Fatigue or equipment shortages cannot justify preventable mistakes. Quackery and poorly trained staff further endanger patients, highlighting the need for strict regulation and continuous training.
Beyond suspensions, hospitals must adopt regular audits, safety checklists, incident reporting systems, and whistleblower protections. Families should actively seek explanations, demand second opinions, and advocate for proper care when symptoms persist.
The death of Aishatu Umar must serve as a national wake-up call. Negligence must have consequences, quackery must end, and hospitals must return to their primary mission: preserving life, not risking it. Without urgent reforms, such tragedies will continue, preventable yet devastating.
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