Health
Nurse accuses hospital over wife’s death, he is Jehovah’s witness, refused blood transmission -management
A registered nurse anaesthetist, Prince Ovwiomodiowho, has accused a private hospital in Lagos State, R Jolad Hospital, Agege, of alleged negligence and failure to provide adequate care, which reportedly led to the death of his wife, Loveth and unborn son, already named Jason.
The distraught man said that his late wife started ante-natal at the hospital in 2023 but reportedly bled to death on March 8, 2024, shortly after undergoing a caesarean section.
Ovwiomodiowho insisted that the lack of a competent surgical team and equipment were factors that contributed to the untimely death of his wife and baby.
He lamented that long hours of induction led to the rupture of his late wife’s uterus, causing heavy bleeding.
Recounting the traumatic events that unfolded during his wife’s stay at the private hospital, Ovwiomodiowho said, “I have been in despair, unimaginable trauma, prolonged pain and unending sorrow since March 8, 2024, following the gruesome murder of my precious wife Loveth and innocent son, Jason.
“My wife had no surgical and medical history; she was their patient from the start of the pregnancy. All her labs, vitals and scans were normal, and her packed cell volume before delivery was 39 per cent.
“The doctor in charge, Marcus, prescribed the induction from midnight and said there was no clear indication for a C/Section. I objected to the midnight induction but he insisted it was the hospital protocol.
“Marcus commenced induction with Misoprostol twice under the watch of his junior doctors and midwife. They claimed Misoprostol induction failed and my wife was not contracting and also claimed her cervix was ripped for another type of induction with oxytocin, which they commenced.
“After 10 hours of aggressive prolonged induction with cervical dilatation only reaching 6cm, her uterus was hyperstimulated until it busted (She had ruptured uterus) and started active silent bleeding.”
Ovwiomodiowho said the hospital claimed not to be aware that his wife was bleeding until she collapsed, started gasping for air, started foaming from the mouth and later, became unconscious.
He further said, “My wife was bleeding and the hospital claimed they were not aware until she collapsed and started gasping for air with extremely low blood pressure and severely compromised vital signs.
“She needed active resuscitation, immediate caesarian section and exploratory laparotomy but once again, the hospital had no surgeon, no anaesthetist, and no paediatrician (No surgical team) in place for the surgery.
“Major surgical and resuscitation equipment was not available. There was no reliable oxygen system, no laryngoscope and no fictional ventilator. She was left to breathe by herself via an endotracheal tube during surgery.”
“There was no electricity throughout the surgery. At some points, they were using phone torchlight for surgery. Due to the unimaginable and gross incompetence of the surgical team, haemostasis could not be secured; she was bleeding from multiple bleeders. My wife and son eventually bled to death, and the theatre floor was a river of blood despite various colloids that were infused. Imagine leaving with the horror of the scene.
“The death certificate of my wife says she suffered a ruptured uterus with massive uterine haemorrhage.”
He also claimed that efforts to get his late wife’s uterus, which was removed during the surgery were not successful.
“My wife’s uterus (womb) was removed during surgery and the hospital has refused to give me the specimen despite multiple requests. I don’t know if they are planning to sell it or if they are deliberately trying to make the autopsy inconclusive.
“The hospital has also refused to give me the placenta. It is only the corpse of my wife and son that was handed over.
“I have reported the incident to the Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, Commissioner of Health and Permanent Secretary in Lagos, and I am waiting for their responses,” he said.
While arguing that the death of his wife and son was avoidable and unnecessary, the aggrieved nurse said it was “a deliberate act of reckless manslaughter.”
He lamented, “How can an obstetrician and gynaecologist be in another facility and still hell-bent on inducing my wife under the watch of his staff from 12 am till 10 am until her uterus gave way? It ruptured without any O&G consultant available to review it.
“The consultant provoked massive torrential bleeding and both he and his team claimed they had no clue as to why my wife, who was their patient was bleeding and was racing into hypovolaemic shock.
“Even when she eventually suffered a total cardiovascular collapse in labour, became unconscious and needed intensive care, immediate Ex lap with an emergency caesarian section, she was denied early surgical intervention until she suffered hypoxic brain injury.
“It took over three hours for the intensivist to start attending to her and over two hours for the O&G consultant to commence surgery, the paediatrician never came.”He added, “During this unbearable waiting time for the surgeon to show up, I was forced to commence active resuscitation on my wife because the team on the ground was in deep confusion and panic.
“Finally, they arranged a grossly incompetent surgical team that could not secure bleeding despite infusions of colloids and crystalloids, causing traumatic death of both mother and baby.”
The nurse also accused the hospital management of deepening his pain and loss by subjecting him to all manner of inhumane treatment and intimidation.
He lamented, “In my unwavering quest to seek justice just because the hospital has seen I don’t have money, I have been subjected to intimidation and frustrations.”
The grieving father said he is at a loss as to how to reply his four-year-old daughter, who has been asking for her mother.
“She has been asking for her mom and I still don’t know what to tell her,” he said with tears cascading down his face.
Hospital denies negligence, blames husband for wife’s death
When contacted the management of R Jolad Hospital, they denied alleged negligence and complicity in the death of the woman.
The hospital insisted that everything medically necessary was done to save Ovwiomodiowho’s wife and son.
Speaking in a virtual meeting attended by the hospital’s Medical Director Abiola Fashina; Chief Operating Officer, Mr Soji Osunsedo, and the Marketing and Brand communications manager, Ifeoluwapo Ilesanmi on April 26, 2024, our correspondent was told by the Managing Director, Dr Funsho Oladipo, that standard protocols and procedures required for care during labour were provided.
While admitting that the wife lost a lot of blood during delivery, he blamed Ovwiomodiowho’s religious belief against blood transmission for the unfortunate death, noting that blood was not given to the woman after the surgery.
He explained, “Between you and I, we know that in childbirth, one important thing that can happen and throw everybody into a panic state, but which can still be remedied, is blood loss. And when there’s blood loss, you have to replace it, especially if the loss is much. There’s nothing that replaces blood.
“But we had been given a strict instruction against blood transfusion because Prince and his family belong to the Jehovah’s Witness religious group and they don’t allow blood transmission.
“And this, you know and I know, everybody knows that if so much blood is lost and no replacement, there’s nothing one can do.
“So, the question of not having adequate manpower to take care of what the wife had is not true.
“The hospital is well equipped with personnel and other things; we have consultant gynaecologists and other professionals. It’s very unfortunate that this happened because we have always provided care to the best of our knowledge and best of practice.
“And such a scenario has never happened in the hospital for the period that we’ve been running it.
“The hospital is a source of joy to many homes, taking care of the needs of the people, the poor and the rich.”
When asked if the hospital used torchlight during surgery, Oladipo noted, “I have just told you the main reason why this loss occurred. I mean, it’s just like Panadol would take care of your headache and if you refuse to take Panadol, the headache will still be there. It’s just simple and very unfortunate.”
On the allegations that the hospital did not release the placenta and ruptured uterus, the hospital Managing Director explained, “If the corpse was alleged to have been kept by us, then we agreed that the uterus and the placenta were also with us.
“You see, it was so bad, we had to put the placenta, the uterus, we had to wrap everything neatly together because they did not want to take the corpse that night. They came so many hours after the incident to take the corpse. And everything was wrapped with the placenta, the resected uterus and the corpse, and we gave it to them.”
No fewer than 20,966 Nigerian health workers relocated abroad within one year, according to official figures contained in the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025, obtained by Saturday PUNCH.
The mass exodus comprised 3,919 doctors, 7,487 nurses and midwives, 6,861 medical laboratory professionals, 702 pharmacists, 658 physiotherapists and hundreds of other healthcare specialists.
The growing migration came under the spotlight following the relocation of a Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr Salamat Aliu-Ibrahim, to the United States.
Aliu-Ibrahim, a renowned neurosurgeon, now serves as Medical Director, Paediatrics, at Freeman Children’s Clinic, a facility under Freeman Health System in Joplin, Missouri.
Data obtained from the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council showed that 4,691 Nigerian-trained doctors joined the UK medical register between May 2023 and April 2026.
According to the GMC register, 15,896 Nigerian-trained doctors are currently licensed to practise in the UK, comprising 9,664 males and 6,232 females.
However, President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, appealed to Nigerian medical professionals in the diaspora to encourage more Nigerians abroad to return home and contribute to the country’s development, stressing that there is no place like home.
20,966 Nigerian Health Workers Migrated
An analysis of the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025 showed that only 60,551 of Nigeria’s 95,456 registered doctors currently hold active practising licences, representing 63 per cent. Only 51 per cent of licensed doctors are actively employed within Nigeria’s health system.
The nursing and midwifery workforce, Nigeria’s largest health profession, has also suffered substantial losses, recording the highest level of migration among health professionals.
Although Nigeria has 267,951 registered nurses and midwives, comprising 73,130 nurses, 21,031 midwives and 173,790 nurses with post-basic qualifications, only 113,123 currently hold active practising licences, representing an effective licensing ratio of 42 per cent.
Of those with active licences, 78 per cent remain employed in the country.
The report further showed that 658 physiotherapists have migrated, leaving only 852 of the country’s 8,642 registered physiotherapists with active practising licences.
Similarly, 21 occupational therapists have migrated, while only 11 of the 176 registered professionals currently hold active licences.
There are 257 registered occupational therapist assistants, but only 51 currently possess practising licences.
The report also showed that 431 optometrists have migrated abroad. Of the 6,975 registered optometrists, only 2,156 hold active practising licences, while 66 per cent remain employed locally.
Among opticians, only 307 of the 2,976 registered professionals currently hold practising licences, while 18 have migrated abroad.
UK, US, Canada, Saudi Arabia Top Destinations
The United Kingdom remains a leading destination for Nigerian health workers, particularly doctors and nurses, due to easier professional registration, better remuneration, structured specialist training and persistent workforce shortages within the National Health Service.
Although international recruitment has slowed since 2025, Nigeria remains one of the major source countries for overseas-trained nurses practising in the UK.
A breakdown of data obtained from the UK GMC register showed that 7,875 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed to practise in the UK in 2020, rising to 9,976 in 2022.
In 2023, the number rose further to 12,198, making Nigeria the third-largest source of foreign-trained doctors in the UK, behind India, with 38,228 doctors, and Pakistan, with 27,739.
Figures from the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council also showed a sharp rise in the number of internationally educated nurses and midwives on its register, driven largely by recruitment from countries including Nigeria, India, Ghana and the Philippines.
According to the council, the number of Nigerian nurses and midwives in the UK has risen above 16,000.
Beyond the UK, the United States and Canada have also become increasingly attractive destinations for Nigerian healthcare professionals.
As of 2020, a total of 3,895 Nigerian-trained doctors were licensed to practise medicine in the US.
Australia has also intensified recruitment of overseas-trained doctors and nurses to address shortages in regional and rural health services, while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue to attract Nigerian healthcare professionals with tax-free salaries, subsidised accommodation and other employment benefits.
The Enugu State Government, through the Ministry of Health, has sealed four private health facilities in Enugu North Local Government Area for operating without valid licences and failing to meet regulatory requirements.
The ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Chidiogo Ugodu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Enugu, noting that the enforcement action was carried out on July 8.
According to the statement, the ministry has intensified the monitoring and supervision of private health facilities across the state to ensure quality healthcare delivery and strict compliance with regulatory standards.
The renewed enforcement exercise was initiated by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu.
As part of the exercise, the Director of Medical Services, Dr. Chinyere Ezeudu, led a team of senior ministry officials on an unscheduled inspection of private health facilities in Enugu North LGA.
The ministry explained that the exercise was aimed at ensuring that all private hospitals and healthcare providers operating in the state comply with statutory requirements, including the renewal of operating licences and the registration of facilities yet to be captured by regulatory authorities.
During the inspection, the team visited seven private health facilities, assessing their operational status, licensing documentation, and compliance with established healthcare standards. Four of the facilities were subsequently sealed for regulatory violations.
Speaking on the exercise, Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, reaffirmed the commitment of the state government, under the leadership of Governor Peter Mbah, to protecting residents by ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and quality healthcare services.
He stressed that the monitoring and enforcement exercise would continue across the state to ensure that only duly registered and licensed healthcare facilities operate.
Ugwu also urged operators of private health facilities to regularise their operations by renewing expired licences and registering facilities that are yet to be approved.
“The ongoing monitoring exercise is not only a regulatory measure but also a critical step towards strengthening the health system and safeguarding the lives of citizens,” he said.
The latest enforcement follows a similar operation carried out a few weeks ago, during which the Ministry of Health sealed three illegal health facilities in Enugu South Local Government Area for operating without valid licences.
Elder statesman and former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, has commissioned the newly renovated and re-equipped Neonatal and Special Babies Ward at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane, Enugu.
The commissioning formed part of the activities marking the 2026 Children’s Day celebration which was attended by top government officials, healthcare professionals and stakeholders in the health sector.
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, commended the intervention and described it as a major boost to healthcare delivery and neonatal care in the state.
He also praised the former governor for coming out to honour the unveiling of the project despite his busy schedules, saying his love for the people of the state would continue to resonate with the administration.
The project, which was facilitated through the Cecilia Oyebola Foundation founded by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Health, Dr. Yomi Jaye, was equipped with modern incubators, infusion and syringe pumps, phototherapy equipment, autoclave machines, baby monitoring devices and upgraded nursing facilities aimed at improving neonatal care and reducing infant mortality.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Mbah during the ceremony, Prof. Onyia lauded Dr. Jaye for his dedication and personal sacrifice towards advancing healthcare delivery in Enugu State.
According to him, the intervention reflected the culture of service and collective responsibility encouraged by the Mbah administration, where public officials contribute beyond their official responsibilities towards the development of the state.
He described Dr. Jaye, who also marked his 51st birthday, as a committed and exemplary public servant whose dedication continued to strengthen confidence in the administration’s healthcare transformation agenda.
Prof. Onyia further stated that the Mbah administration had transformed ESUT Teaching Hospital from the condition it met in 2023 into a modern and rapidly improving medical institution capable of competing with leading healthcare facilities across the country.
He reiterated the commitment of Governor Mbah’s administration to building a world-class healthcare system through sustained investments in infrastructure, equipment and manpower development.
Performing the commissioning and ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside his wife, Dr. Patricia Nwobodo, Senator Nwobodo expressed admiration over the quality of facilities installed at the neonatal ward.
He praised the governor for what he described as unprecedented transformation in the health sector and insisted that the governor deserved overwhelming support for re-election in 2027.
According to the former governor, the facilities and standards at the ward compared favourably with what is obtainable in advanced countries, stressing that the development further demonstrated that the current administration was delivering tangible results across critical sectors.
In his remarks, Dr. Yomi Jaye explained that the project was inspired by his lifelong commitment to children’s welfare and dedicated to the memory of his late mother, who was a teacher.
He disclosed that the renovated ward was designed in line with modern infection prevention protocols critical to newborn survival, recalling the painful loss of his almost twin brother due to infection-related complications.
Dr. Jaye noted that the intervention aligned with Governor Mbah’s vision of transforming healthcare delivery through preventive and patient-centred care, adding that ongoing investments in hospitals, primary healthcare and medical training had continued to reposition Enugu as a leading healthcare destination.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of ESUTH Parklane, Prof. Bethrand Ngwu, expressed gratitude to Governor Mbah and Dr. Jaye for their interventions and support towards improving healthcare services in the hospital.
He stated that the administration’s investments had significantly improved healthcare delivery and staff morale, assuring that the newly installed facilities would be properly maintained and maximally utilised for the benefit of newborns and other vulnerable patients requiring specialised care.
In 2024, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, revealed that Nigeria had about 55,000 licensed doctors.
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Pate disclosed that no fewer than 16,000 doctors had left the country in the past five years, while about 17,000 others had been transferred out of active service.
Worrisomely, a new revelation by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, indicates that the number of practising doctors in Nigeria has declined from 55,000 to 40,000 within just one year.
In his presentation at a one-day leadership dialogue in Lagos themed “Strengthening PHC Systems: A Joint Leadership Dialogue,” Abayomi identified manpower shortage as one of the most critical challenges facing the health sector.
The dialogue, organised by the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board with support from development partners, addressed barriers hindering PHCs from meeting expectations and proposed practical solutions for building sustainable PHCs with lasting impact.
Abayomi stated that Lagos currently has only 7,000 doctors serving an estimated 30 million residents, far below the number needed for optimal care delivery.
The commissioner raised concerns over the acute shortage of health workers in the state, disclosing that the state requires an additional 33,000 doctors to meet the healthcare demands of its growing population.
“Nigeria currently has about 40,000 doctors against an estimated need of 300,000, while Lagos alone requires about 33,000 doctors but has only about 7,000,” he said.
According to him, Lagos’ doctor-to-population ratio remains far below what is required for optimal healthcare delivery, noting that the state’s doctors are serving an estimated population of nearly 30 million people.
To address the shortfall, Abayomi said the state government is investing in its newly established University of Medicine and Health.
“Within five years, UMH will produce about 2,500 healthcare workers annually, including laboratory scientists and other essential cadres,” he stated.
The mass exodus of healthcare professionals popularly known as japa syndrome, especially doctors, nurses, and pharmacists has remained a major concern in Nigeria.
A 2017 survey conducted by a Nigerian polling organisation in partnership with Nigeria Health Watch revealed that about 88 per cent of Nigerian doctors were seeking job opportunities abroad at the time.
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Bala Audu, recently warned that Nigeria has moved beyond passive brain drain and has become a direct recruitment hub for foreign governments seeking skilled medical professionals.
In an interview, Audu revealed that international recruiters now visit Nigeria to directly hire doctors—particularly specialists such as obstetricians, gynaecologists, and paediatricians—offering them superior working conditions, remuneration, and infrastructure.
He lamented that while Nigeria’s population continues to grow and mortality rates remain high, the country is losing specialists at an alarming rate.
“Many of our doctors are not even going abroad to look for jobs. Foreign governments now come into Nigeria to pick doctors and take them away,” Audu said.
“We are still having more births, yet maternal deaths remain high because the skilled birth attendants who should care for these women are reducing every day.”
Audu added that in some specialties, the number of Nigerian doctors practising abroad may already exceed those still working within the country, a situation worsened by the government’s failure to significantly improve doctors’ welfare despite existing policy frameworks.
Experts have warned that with the current pace of emigration, it would be impossible for Nigeria to produce enough health workers to meet its growing healthcare demands. They estimate that it would take at least 20 years to train the over 400,000 health workers required to close the gap.
A former President of the NMA, Prof. Mike Ogirima, described Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio as “horrible,” noting that the country currently has about one doctor to 8,000 patients—far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of one doctor to 600 patients.
Nigerian health communication researcher, Ifesinachi Ayogu, has attributed the rising number of cancer-related deaths in the country to the neglect of routine self-breast examination among women and routine Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing among men.
Ayogu told journalists on Monday that the failure to prioritise regular screening had contributed significantly to late detection of breast and prostate cancers, which are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Nigeria.
He said many cancer cases were only discovered when the disease had reached advanced stages, making treatment more complex and survival chances lower.
According to him, the increasing burden of cancer deaths calls for a more intentional and sustained approach to cancer awareness, early detection, and preventive health behaviour.
“Early detection saves lives, but many people are not practising simple, routine screening that could help detect cancer early,” Ayogu said.
He noted that breast cancer and prostate cancer were often manageable when detected early, but ignorance, fear, stigma, and limited awareness continued to discourage people from carrying out regular checks.
The researcher explained that self-breast examination allows women to notice unusual lumps or changes early, while routine PSA testing helps detect prostate abnormalities before symptoms become severe.
Ayogu said deaths resulting from breast and prostate cancers were often preventable, stressing that delayed diagnosis was a major factor contributing to high mortality rates.
He added that many Nigerians still lacked basic information on how to conduct self-breast examinations, when to go for PSA tests, and where to seek appropriate medical care.
The health communication researcher emphasised the need for community-based education, especially in rural areas, using trusted platforms such as churches, markets, women’s groups, and radio programmes to promote routine screening practices.
He also urged healthcare providers and public health institutions to intensify public education on cancer prevention and ensure that screening information was simple, accurate, and accessible.
Ayogu advised individuals with a family history of breast or prostate cancer to be particularly vigilant about routine screening and healthy lifestyle practices.
He stressed that promoting routine self-breast examination and PSA testing would play a critical role in reducing late presentation and improving cancer survival outcomes in Nigeria.
Ifeshinachi Ayogu is a PhD graduate student, at the University of Oklahoma United States of America, his core interest is cancer communication, according to him, he believes that the next breakthroughs in cancer care for Nigerian women and men will not come from medicine alone.
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