…as mother’s corpse remains unclaimed
- It hasn’t been easy for me, father says from hideout
Three weeks after Mrs. Paschaline Onyekejekwe died of alleged complications during delivery at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, the Delta State capital, there are strong indications that her surviving quintuplets are still in life saving incubators at the
hospital.
Though the quintuplets, all females, are doing well, according to informed sources at the hospital, the babies were still being held over what the hospital management described as non-settlement of medical bills by the family of the late mother of the quintuplets or anybody for their upkeep.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Victor Osiatuma, while reacting to allegations of non-challance and unprofessionalism in the handling of the babies’ case, said, “The neglect is a result of non-payment to the hospital at present. The mother of the quintuplets died of complications during delivery; even the family of the woman accused the doctors in the hospital of killing the woman. The husband ran away, up up till now, we have not seen him. So, the children are just there in the incubators without proper care because we need funds to give adequate care for them.
“The hospital is not a charity organisation, the corpse of the woman is still lying in the mortuary, it’s really sad. The management of FMC Asaba don’t know what to do, people are threatening us that the hospital killed the woman. It’s not true, she died of complications; the babies, however, are
doing well.”
Osiatuma disclosed that the babies were surviving on gastronomy tubes through which food is passed to their systems, adding, “In doing this, it costs money; who is taking care of the bills? The management cannot continue like this. The husband is on the run, making trouble from his hideout. Everybody seems to be disillusioned, and we may have to discontinue the
process.”
On when the babies are likely to be discharged, the CMD said that the paediatricians would decide, depending on when their lungs would be strong enough for independent survival.
Meanwhile, the father of babies, Mr Uchena Onyekwe, who spoke to newsmen from his hideout, said he was doing all within his capacity to move on, adding that he could not in any way meet up the demands of the babies, especially as he does not live in Asaba. He also accused the doctors of negligence in the death of his wife during delivery, saying, “I have not been able to pay the bills for the mortuary where my wife is being kept, all the people who made promises have not fulfilled their promises, except a few. It has not been easy for me, the only hope is God. The hospital management honestly, has not been fair to me.”
