By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi 

Grief and anger have trailed the death of a 58-year-old woman, Mrs Jegede Christianah, at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Ondo State, with her family accusing hospital authorities of negligence linked to prolonged power outage that delayed a life-saving blood transfusion.

The deceased, a trader and farmer from Imoru in Ose Local Government Area, was said to have developed complications after complaining of blood in her urine on Easter Monday.

Speaking with Nigerian Monitor, her son, Mr Jegede Olamide, said she was initially rushed to Oba Israel Adewusi General Hospital in Ifon, where she was diagnosed with chronic haemolysis and later referred to FMC Owo for advanced care.

He explained that upon arrival at the tertiary facility on Tuesday, April 7, his mother’s packed cell volume (PCV) had dropped from 18 per cent recorded at Ifon hospital to 15 per cent, necessitating urgent medical intervention.

Olamide stated that she spent two days at the Accident and Emergency Unit and was later admitted at the Female Medical Ward, where she began to show signs of improvement following multiple blood transfusions.

“She received four pints of blood between Tuesday and Saturday, and her PCV rose to 19 per cent. The blood in her urine had started reducing, and she was responding to treatment,” Olamide said.

However, the situation reportedly took a tragic turn in the early hours of Sunday when another transfusion recommended by a doctor on Saturday evening for the following morning became an issue.

The family claimed that efforts to carry out blood grouping and cross-matching were stalled due to a lack of electricity at the hospital laboratory.

According to Olamide, the laboratory was said to have been without power supply since midnight, leaving medical personnel unable to proceed with the necessary procedure.

“We were told there was no electricity and nothing could be done. We had to wait until almost 10 a.m. before power was restored and the process carried out,” he said.

He added that by the time the blood was eventually prepared and taken to the ward, his mother’s condition had deteriorated beyond recovery.

“The blood was eventually administered, but her system could no longer absorb it. It was too late,” he lamented.

Corroborating the account, the deceased’s first daughter, Folakemi Adedigba, described the experience as traumatic and avoidable, alleging systemic failures within the hospital.

She revealed that four donors had been on standby awaiting cross-matching while doctors repeatedly called for urgent blood transfusion as the patient’s organs began to fail.

“Even one of the doctors had to rush to the laboratory to press for urgent attention, but there was nothing they could do without electricity,” she said.

Adedigba further alleged that the situation reflected deeper management lapses rather than the fault of individual medical staff.

She criticised the absence of a reliable alternative power source in a federal health institution.

In a desperate attempt to save her mother’s life, she said she offered to provide ₦100,000 to purchase fuel for the hospital generator, but was reportedly told that the generator was faulty and could not be used.

“How can a laboratory not have 24-hour electricity or backup power? We got there at 6:30 am, and waited for solar light for over three hours. This is not just about the lab scientists; it is a failure of the system,” she said.

She also recounted earlier difficulties at the hospital, including initial refusal to admit the patient due to lack of bed space.

“She was left in the car for about five hours the day we arrived FMC, bleeding, before we found a doctor who intervened. There was no empathy,” she added.

The grieving daughter expressed frustration over what she termed systemic neglect in public healthcare, questioning whether the same treatment would have been meted out if the patient had been from an influential background.

“If I were the daughter of a powerful person, would they have treated her this way?” she asked.

She also clarified that while laboratory scientists did their best under the circumstances, the problem lay in broader institutional and management failures.

The daughter painted a grim picture of conditions within the female medical ward, alleging that patients’ relatives were forced to fan their loved ones with sheets of paper due to poor ventilation caused by non-functional fans, noting that the only sign of electricity supply in the ward was the faint glow of light bulbs.

She disclosed that tensions nearly escalated into a protest among patients’ families on Saturday over the conditions.

The family called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death, insisting that the outcome might have been different if basic infrastructure had been in place.

When contacted on Monday evening, the Public Relations Officer of FMC Owo, Mr Olufunso Ijanusi, said the hospital management was yet to receive a formal report on the incident but assured that a preliminary inquiry would be conducted.

“We are aware of the concerns being raised, but I must state that we are yet to get a comprehensive report on the matter.

However, the management will look into the allegations and take appropriate steps where necessary,” he said.

Ijanusi added that the hospital has mechanisms in place to handle emergencies and provide alternative power supply, but declined to comment further on the specific circumstances surrounding the alleged power outage at the laboratory.

His response comes amid mounting pressure from the deceased’s family and concerned members of the public, who have called for a thorough investigation into the incident and accountability for any lapses that may have contributed to the patient’s death.

The incident has sparked renewed concerns over the state of healthcare delivery in Nigeria, particularly in public hospitals where power supply remains inconsistent despite the critical nature of services rendered.

Observers say the case underscores longstanding challenges in the health sector, including inadequate infrastructure, poor emergency response systems, and weak administrative oversight, particularly at the FMC, Owo.

There are now growing calls on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other relevant regulatory bodies to urgently probe the incident, enforce accountability, and ensure that tertiary health institutions are equipped with reliable power systems to prevent avoidable deaths.

Stakeholders argue that beyond condolences, decisive policy and infrastructural interventions are required to restore public confidence in the healthcare system and safeguard the lives of ordinary Nigerians who depend on public medical facilities.