Chimamanda: How Medical Negligence Led to My Son’s Death in Lagos Hospital

Renowned Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has alleged grave medical negligence in the death of her young son, Nkanu, following a medical procedure carried out at Euracare Hospital in Lagos on January 6.In a detailed personal account that has begun circulating publicly, Adichie said her son would be alive today but for what she described as fatal lapses in care during what should have been routine medical procedures. The account was confirmed by her media team after inquiries from ARISE NEWS.According to the statement, the family had travelled to Lagos for the Christmas holidays when Nkanu developed symptoms initially believed to be a cold. Adichie said his condition later deteriorated into a severe infection, prompting his admission to Atlantis Hospital. From there, arrangements were made for an emergency medical evacuation to the United States scheduled for January 7.Adichie’s account focuses on events surrounding the medical care her son received prior to the planned evacuation, alleging that failures at Euracare Hospital contributed directly to his death.ARISE NEWS quoted Adichie’s media team as confirming that she authored the message. The team said the account was originally shared privately with family members and a small circle of friends before it became public.According to Adichie, a medical team at Johns Hopkins Hospital was on standby to receive her son in Baltimore and had requested an MRI scan and lumbar puncture. Nigerian doctors also planned to insert a central line in preparation for the flight.Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital to carry out the procedures.Adichie said her son was sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While she waited outside the operating theatre, she noticed medical personnel, including a senior doctor, rushing in — a moment she said immediately signalled that something had gone wrong.She was later informed that her son had been given an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, became unresponsive, and was resuscitated. He was then intubated, placed on a ventilator, and admitted to the intensive care unit.Adichie said seizures and cardiac arrest followed — conditions her son had never previously experienced — and he died several hours later.She further alleged that her son was never properly monitored after being sedated, adding that the anesthesiologist carried him without continuous observation, making it unclear when he became unresponsive. She also claimed that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off her son’s oxygen before transporting him to the ICU.“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” Adichie asked in the account, describing the actions as criminally negligent and a clear breach of medical protocol.“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day,” she said. “We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”She further claimed that Euracare Hospital had prior knowledge of at least two previous cases involving alleged anesthetic overdoses by the same practitioner and questioned why he was allowed to continue practising.“This must never happen to another child,” she said.Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of Africa’s most prominent literary figures, internationally acclaimed for novels such as Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah.