I nor like as this fine woman take die ......The management of Lagos University
Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has dismissed suggestions that Dr. Hestia
Idiodi-Thomas, a young consultant paediatric surgeon and staff of the
hospital who died recently, either committed suicide or was a victim of
domestic violence.
Chief
Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, told The Guardian yesterday
that Idiodi-Thomas was brought to the Accidents and Emergency
Department of the teaching hospital on Tuesday, October 14, 2015,
following injuries sustained in tragic circumstances within her home
environment.
According
to Bode, all efforts at resuscitating her failed and she was pronounced
dead. He said the untimely death of this mother of two was a rude shock
to her colleagues and the entire LUTH community.
The
Guardian investigation revealed that the deceased was married to Dr.
Idiodi Thomas, a consultant haematologist with Lagos State Ministry of
Health.
The
LUTH chief medical director said the police were promptly informed and a
Coroner’s inquest into the case is almost completed.
“Dr.
Heista Idiodi-Thomas was beloved by her colleagues, patients and all
members of LUTH community who admired her dedication to duty, her gentle
ever-smiling mien and humility to all. We shall all miss her. While
LUTH prays for the repose of her soul, the management appeals to all to
refrain from any speculations about the cause of her death until the
coroner’s verdict has been pronounced.
“We
therefore implore the press and the general public to please respect
the memory of this rare gem and leave the family to mourn as they should
during this difficult period,” Bode said.
The
CMD added: “We are working with the Coroner to speed up the inquest. It
is a legal process that must follow its procedure. Heisha was like a
daughter to me, and most of us here. We will do everything possible to
ensure that the right things are done.
“But
we must wait for the Coroner’s inquest. I don’t want people to jump the
gun. There has been a lot of speculation on domestic violence and so
on. But I must tell you that I have been talking with Heisha’s mother
and family as well as the husband.
“The mother and the family are on the same page with us in terms of making sure that these speculations do not thrive.
The
mother is particular about her daughter’s husband and the soul of her
late daughter. She wants the media and public to allow them to mourn.
We
will call a media conference as soon as the Coroner’s inquest is ready
so that people can come and ask their questions. But for now, I cant
tell you more than this.”
Meanwhile,
the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) has
offered to assist the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on its
investigation into the cause of Dr. Heisha’s death.
In
a letter to the NMA yesterday, DSVRT offered their unbiased services
and support towards the investigation, given what they called “ the
breadth of its expertise in the area of domestic violence”.
By: Chukwuma Muanya and Bertram Nwannekanma
Guardian News
The controversy surrounding the
death of the late Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Hestianna Thomas at the
Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, may soon be put to rest as
autopsy has been carried out on the body of the deceased. Already, the
Lagos State Government has asked the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA,
to release the autopsy report, even as the Lagos State Department of
Domestic Violence restated its resolve to pursue the case to its logical
conclusion. While some said she was a victim of domestic violence,
others said she commited suicide.
Vanguard
gathered that the autopsy had been concluded but the committee
constituted by the NMA to unravel the cause of the death was yet to
release its findings. Disclosing the situation to Vanguard in an
interview, Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence
Response Team, DSVRT, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said: “We appreciate
NMA’s effort to unravel the cause of the death, but we want the report
to be released urgently.
We
want the committee to forward the report to the Directorate of Public
Prosecution, DPP, Lagos State Ministry of Justice. And if the report
states that she died due to domestic violence, the state government will
not hesitate to act.”
Protection of her rights
Further,
Vivour-Adeniyi stated: “Although the deceased was a staff of Federal
Government, but since she resided in Lagos, the state government will
ensure that her rights are protected.” Details regarding the autopsy
were scanty at press time, but sources close to the family and the NMA,
Lagos State Branch, confirmed the result was still being awaited and may
be released this week.
It
would be recalled that conflicting reports making the rounds allege on
one hand that the doctor died of injuries sustained as a result of
domestic violence, while other reports said her death was one of
suicide.
In
a related development, a colleague of the deceased who is a surgeon in
LUTH said the deceased had a history of depression. The source, who
pleaded anonymity, noted: “The victim came in a pool of blood with a
nylon bag over her head, face smashed in, chest and arms fractured.
Husband told us she had a history of depression and suicidal attempts. I
heard that she jumped off the second floor. I spoke with her unit
members, it seems it’s confirmed that it’s a suicide, the family reached
out in support to the husband and confirmed the previous history of
depression and won’t be taking anything up.”
Also
speaking, the husband of the deceased, Dr. Femi Thomas, when contacted,
declined to grant an interview. He, however, said that the death is a
coroner case. “Let us wait for the coroner report,” he urged. In his
reaction, Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, told our
reporters to expect the institution’s response in due course. “Please
await a press statement about the case from LUTH,” he noted.
Meanwhile,
the Lagos State Branch of NMA has condemned media reports linking the
death of the deceased to the husband. The NMA through its Public
Relations Officer, Dr Ibrahim Ogunbi, wondered why some journalists
should carry stories of such sensitive matters without proper
investigations.
Proper investigations
Ogunbi
in a telephone interview lamented: “The rumours are too much but we do
not believe them. We are investigating the cause of the death to
ascertain if the allegation by some people that the husband killed the
wife was true or not. We are neutral until the autopsy report is made.”
He noted that the reason they could not believe the allegation levelled
against the husband was their findings during the association’s visit to
the home of the deceased.
Ogunbi
said “When we visited the home of the decease on Friday, we saw her
mother who also lives in the house. And during our interaction with her,
she said that the report making the rounds that her in-law killed the
daughter worries her; it has further inflicted pains on her, and that
those making such allegations are adding to her pains.
“NMA
is investigating the rumours surrounding her death. We cannot
understand why journalists could go to press without proper
investigations. Some of us visited the home of the disease yesterday
(Friday). We discovered that the mother of the deceased was around and
she is not happy with the reports. We in the NMA are not happy with what
is reported in the social media and the national dailies. People should
be careful with what they are reporting.”
He
further disclosed that the deceased’s husband with his two children are
in good health, adding, ”We are still expecting the result of the
autopsy and we have told our members not to give information to the
media until the result of the autopsy is out.” Asked which hospital is
conducting the autopsy, he said, “Sorry I cannot disclose that to you
now. Wait until the autopsy is out.”
Chairman
of NMA, Lagos, Dr. Tope Ojo, also in an interview said: “This is a
sensitive issue. We are aware of the information being circulated as the
cause of her death. But I can say that they are just rumours. We are
working with all stakeholders including the Nigerian Police on this
issue to investigate the cause of her death.”
Hardworking consultant
In
a statement, the Chairman, Medical and Dental Consultants Association
of Nigeria, LUTH branch, Dr. Emeka Ogbolu, said the incident was a sad
event. He described the deceased as a very hardworking consultant, who
seemed indefatigable. Ogbolu who said he refrained from posting anything
noted that it would have been premature to do so.
He
said,“I was appalled at how some people jumped to conclusions that it
was homicide without investigating or asking questions. I also had to
refrain because it is really painful being that I saw her on Tuesday and
therefore it came as a shock. I just came from their home where I went
to pay a condolence visit and what I saw was a pained and angry mother.
Her mother, after I introduced myself, pleaded that we do not abandon
her son-in-law who is a son to her. While weeping she asked why someone
will be so insensitive and wicked to her as a mother and conclude that
her son-in-law killed her daughter.
“She
cursed those that started it because she said they have only added to
her pain which is already unbearable. She said she is a principal
officer in a university and has some background in psychology and she
knows the tell tale signs of domestic violence. She visits often and
would not have hesitated to forcefully drag her daughter out of the
marriage had that been the case.
“She
would have known from her interaction with their children. She said
those who started this have stung her where it hurts because she does
not joke with her children. She said she broke down when she saw the
newspaper that carried the story. I saw a mother pained. I think it was
genuine. I promised her I would pass on her message as much as I can and
that is all I have done.”
The
late consultant was a member, Class of 96, UDOSA Benin Chapter and
member of the British Association of Paediatric surgeons. She graduated
with a bachelor of medicine and surgery (MBBS) from the College of
Medicine, University of Benin, Nigeria in 2003. Thereafter, she obtained
a post graduate training including specialist training in paediatric
surgery at the UBTH and LUTH, and a tertiary hospital in Accra, Ghana.
She
obtained the Fellowship of the West Africa College of Surgeons
(paediatrics) by examination in 2013. Her professional interest included
further training in hypospadiology and minimal access surgery. Her
other clinical and research interests included nutrition of surgical
patients, trauma and general paediatric surgery.
By: Sola Ogundipe, Chioma Obinna, Monsuru Olowoopejo, Esther Onyegbula & Gabriel Olawale
Vanguard News
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