A man, Ekong Francis Ubong, has narrated how his prompt response to an emergency call saved the life of his uncle who was presumed dead by the management of the Lafia General Hospital in Nasarawa State.
Speaking to IVNTVNEWS, Ubong stated that on Monday, two weeks back, he had a call from his maternal uncle that he was on his way to Abuja for a visit.
However, around 4p.m, same day, he had another call from someone who identified himself as a staff of the Lafia General Hospital. He informed Ubong that his cellphone number was identified in a manifest of a vehicle on board to Abuja.
The hospital staff informed him that the vehicle in which the man who wrote the number was involved in an accident. The staff told Ubong that man died in the accident and has been deposited in the mortuary.
Ubong said, “I was devastated by the information, because I was telling myself how can my uncle die. The man who just called me some hours ago that he was coming to visit us in Abuja.
“I called my father and informed him of the development. He transferred some money to me and I left for Lafia immediately.
“On getting to the hospital, I went straight to the mortuary. There, I was shown where the body of my uncle was laid.
“Instinctively, I reached out and felt his pulse and I noticed that his body was warm. I placed my hand on his nostril and I noticed that he was still breathing.
“I then raised the alarm that my uncle was not dead.
“Even as I was yelling, the mortuary attendant did not show an concern. Not until I threatened that if my uncle dies there that I will sue the hospital management.
“It was then that they came and took my uncle to the ward. And about an hour later, my uncle regained consciousness. He was surprised to find himself on a hospital bed and seeing me and his son by his bedside.
Ubong recalled that he had earlier called his cousin and informed him of the development.
“I had called my uncle’s son immediately I got the call. So, he left Ogoja to Lafia immediately. So, I was already in the hospital when he got there.
“It was then that my uncle started recollecting that he was traveling to Abuja and that he boarded a bus in Ogoja.
“I then narrated to him what the hospital staff told me that happened. He also remembered that the vehicle that he was travelling in had an accident along the way,” Ubong said.
On the response of the hospital staff to the development, He said, “Because of the way I spoke and threatened the hospital staff, the Chief Medical Director, CMD, came and apologized to us. He begged me not to take further action against the negligence.
“However, I decided to speak to the press because of the grave consequences of the actions of the hospital staff.
“I keep wondering, what if I had gone to the hospital, when I did. That means that my uncle would have been abandoned as a dead man.
“Though some passengers died in the accident, best medical practice suggests that the bodies are checked to make sure they are truly dead.
“One, therefore, wonders how many of accident victims who would have survived have been abandoned in the mortuary to die.
By the time of this report, Ubong stated that his uncle has been discharged and he is recuperating in Abuja.
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