CHIMAMANDA’S LEGAL TEAM WRITES TO HOSPITAL, DOCTOR SUSPENDED

By: Balogun Ibrahim

Solicitors representing renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie have written to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.

The development comes as the Lagos State Government confirmed the suspension of the clinic’s anaesthesiologist while investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.

In a legal notice dated January 10, 2026, solicitors for Chimamanda and her partner, Dr. Ivara Esege, alleged that the hospital, its anaesthesiologist, and attending medical staff breached the duty of care owed to their son, who passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

The notice was issued on behalf of the parents by law firm PINHEIRO LP and signed by its founding partner, Prof. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN).

According to the legal notice, the child was referred to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital on January 6, 2026, from Atlantis Pediatric Hospital for a series of diagnostic and preparatory procedures. These included an echocardiogram, brain MRI, insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line), and a lumbar puncture.

The procedures were reportedly in preparation for an imminent medical evacuation to the United States, where a specialist medical team was on standby to receive him.

The solicitors noted that intravenous sedation was administered using propofol.

However, while being transported to the cardiac catheterisation laboratory following the MRI, the child reportedly experienced sudden and severe complications.

Although under sedation, he was allegedly moved between clinical areas under conditions that raised “serious and substantive concerns” regarding adherence to patient-safety protocols. He was later pronounced dead in the early hours of January 7, 2026.

The legal notice highlights multiple alleged lapses in paediatric anaesthetic and procedural care. These include questions over the appropriateness and cumulative dosing of propofol in a critically ill child, inadequate airway protection during deep sedation, and an alleged failure to maintain continuous physiological monitoring.

The parents further claim that their son was transferred without supplemental oxygen, proper monitoring, or sufficient medical personnel. They also raised concerns about the availability of basic resuscitation equipment, delayed recognition and management of respiratory or cardiovascular issues, and a general failure to comply with established paediatric anaesthesia, patient-transfer, and safety protocols.

Another key grievance raised in the notice was the alleged failure of the hospital to fully disclose the risks and potential side effects of propofol and other anaesthetic agents, which the solicitors said undermined the legal requirement for informed consent.

According to the legal team, these alleged lapses constitute prima facie breaches of the duty of care, potentially rendering the hospital and all involved medical personnel liable for medical negligence leading to the child’s death.

As part of their next steps, the parents have demanded certified copies of all medical records relating to their son’s treatment within seven days of receiving the notice.

The requested documents include admission notes, consent forms, pre-anaesthetic assessments, anaesthetic charts, drug administration records, monitoring logs, procedural notes, nursing observations, ICU records, incident reports, and the identities of all medical staff involved.

The demand also extends to internal reviews, safety logs from the MRI suite, and any other documentation related to the child’s care.

The hospital was formally instructed to preserve all relevant evidence, both physical and electronic. This includes CCTV footage from procedure rooms and corridors, electronic monitoring data, pharmacy and drug inventory records, crash-cart and emergency equipment logs, internal communications, and any morbidity and mortality reviews.

The solicitors warned that “any destruction, alteration, or loss of such evidence after receipt of this letter shall be regarded as suppression or concealment of evidence and obstruction of the course of justice, and will be relied upon accordingly, with attendant legal consequences.”

The letter further stated that if the hospital fails or refuses to comply with the demands within the stipulated timeframe, the parents would have no option but to pursue all available legal, regulatory, and judicial remedies against the hospital and all medical personnel involved.

Euracare Hospital had said in a statement on Saturday that it had launched “a detailed investigation” into the incident in line with its clinical governance standards and best practices, and pledged to engage transparently with all relevant clinical and regulatory processes.

Similarly, the Lagos State Government announced on Saturday that it had begun an investigation, vowing to ensure the full weight of the law is applied.

Providing an update on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, told The Media that the doctor involved in the child’s procedure had been suspended by the hospital’s management, and confirmed that the hospital was cooperating fully with the government’s investigation.

Ogunyemi stated, “This is an active investigation, which we began on Saturday. We have visited the clinic, and the investigation is ongoing. The hospital is also conducting its own internal review, and to our knowledge, the anaesthesiologist involved has been suspended by the hospital.”

The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, said the investigation into the child’s death is ongoing.

“So we will conduct our standard investigation, which we do for every reported case. If we don’t hear about an incident, there is nothing we can do. But once a matter is reported, we investigate,” Ogunyemi explained.

He added that the heightened public attention was due to the family’s high profile. “This case has been in the media because she is a public figure, and it’s very unfortunate. She is popular and widely respected, and we are doing our best. The hospital is also carrying out its own internal review, and as far as we know, the doctor involved has been suspended,” he said.

Ogunyemi confirmed that hospital staff would continue to be interviewed on Monday. “They are all coming to us tomorrow for further questioning, and we hope to make progress. As stated in our previous release, we will be transparent and involve experts, following the established protocol,” he said.

Meanwhile, the family doctor and deceased child’s aunt, Dr. Anthea Nwandu, criticised Euracare Hospital’s account of the circumstances surrounding Nnamdi’s death.

In a statement made available to The Media on Sunday, Dr. Nwandu challenged the hospital’s claim that the child had been treated at two paediatric facilities before arriving at Euracare. “This is false. He was in one hospital before coming to Euracare for the procedures,” she said.

Euracare, in its statement, had stressed that the critically ill child was referred to the clinic for specific diagnostic procedures after receiving prior care elsewhere. The hospital said its team immediately provided care according to established clinical protocols and internationally accepted standards, including administering sedation where medically indicated. It added that it worked closely with external medical teams recommended by the family and ensured all necessary clinical support throughout the child’s care. “Despite these concerted efforts, the patient sadly passed away less than 24 hours after presenting at our facility,” the hospital noted.

Dr. Nwandu, a dual board-certified Internal Medicine physician with 30 years of global experience in Nigeria and the United States, also questioned the hospital’s handling of sedation. “International standards require that a child on oxygen who is given sedation must have continuous oxygen therapy. Did Euracare provide this? No. They confirmed verbally to me that it was not done when I visited the hospital to question the doctors,” she said.

Dr. Anthea Nwandu, the child’s aunt and family doctor, said international standards require continuous monitoring of oxygen levels, pulse, and respiration for a sedated child. “Did Euracare do this? No,” she said.

She also raised concerns about the hospital’s handling of the child during transfers. “International standards require that when moving a child within the hospital, resuscitative equipment must accompany the patient in case of respiratory arrest, a risk well known with anaesthesia. This can be done with a simple ambu bag. Did Euracare do this? No.”

Nwandu claimed the lack of monitoring made it impossible to accurately document when the child stopped breathing or how long he was pulseless before resuscitation efforts.

She also questioned the anaesthesiologist’s methods, saying: “Is it standard for an anaesthesiologist to carry a post-sedation child on his shoulder, unable to see the patient, without any monitoring, and insisting he alone be in the elevator with the child? No. When transferring the child to the ICU, the anaesthesiologist disconnected his oxygen and again carried him on his shoulder. Is that standard practice? No.”

Nwandu noted that the child had been medically stable and scheduled for a medical evacuation flight to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore when the alleged negligence occurred.

The case has sparked widespread outrage on social media after Chimamanda Adichie accused Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos of negligence leading to her son’s death.

Chimamanda Adichie stated that her son, who was scheduled to be flown abroad for treatment, initially had what was thought to be a cold, which later developed into “a very serious infection.”

She said that upon arrival at the hospital on Tuesday, they were informed that her son would need sedation to prevent movement during the MRI and central line procedures.

Adichie alleged that after receiving an “excessive dose of propofol” from the hospital’s anaesthesiologist, her son was not properly monitored.

She added that his condition rapidly worsened, leading to loss of responsiveness, seizures, and cardiac arrest, ultimately resulting in his death on Wednesday.