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The Ekiti State government has dismissed a surgeon and suspended other medical staff following a disputed kidney operation at a state-run teaching hospital, officials said Friday.
The action followed an investigation into claims by a patient, Joshua Afolayan, that doctors at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) removed his kidney without proper justification.
Ekiti’s commissioner for health, Oyebanji Filani, in a statement, said a seven-member panel of inquiry had submitted its report, which caused the government to act.
“The surgeon who had primary responsibility for the surgery is to be dismissed from the service of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) with immediate effect,” Filani said.
“All members of the surgical team present in the theatre on the day of the operation are to be suspended from duty for a period of one month, pending further administrative review.
Filani also said the government would pay the full cost of a new kidney transplant for Afolayan and cover his post-transplant care and related medical expenses for two years.
He also announced plans to reorganise departments at the hospital to strengthen oversight, accountability and patient safety.
“The Ekiti State government will bear the full cost of a new kidney transplant for Mr Joshua Afolayan and will also take responsibility for his post-transplant care and transplant-related medical maintenance for a period of two years.
“In line with the recommendations of the Panel, a comprehensive reorganisation of relevant departments within EKSUTH will be undertaken to strengthen clinical governance, accountability, and patient safety.”
Earlier this month, Afolayan accused hospital physicians of unlawfully harvesting his kidney, drawing public attention to the case.
He claimed that one of his kidneys had been damaged when he was admitted following a car accident in August.
According to Afolayan, scans carried out at EKSUTH and later at a teaching hospital in Ibadan showed his right kidney was affected while the left was healthy.
He said he consented to surgery to remove the damaged kidney, but later discovered that he was living without a kidney following the operation in October.
