The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, was fined N10.2 million by the Bauchi State High Court for medical malpractice that led to the death of Zaliha Yahaya Muhammad, a pregnant lady.
On Monday, High Court No. 2’s Justice Kunaza N. Hamidu sided with the husband of the decedent, Adamu Yusuf Misau, who filed the lawsuit following his wife’s death in August 2020.
The claimant states that Zaliha was first sent to a local healthcare center in Bauchi metropolis for treatment of pregnancy-related issues, but was then referred to ATBUTH for specialised care.
According to claimant’s counsel Auwal Ibrahim, the deceased underwent surgery at the hospital. However, after the procedure, the family was informed that the surgical wound had not been stitched. Therefore, the patient was referred to a different hospital, allegedly due to malfunctioning medical equipment at ATBUTH.
The claimant contended that the decedent was left unattended for many hours despite her serious state and included a handwritten referral note as evidence.
According to D.E. Kaswe, the defence attorney, the patient’s death was hastened because of payment delays. The court, however, rejected the claim after finding evidence of the claimant’s cash payment of N14,000.
Justice Hamidu ruled that the hospital was legally liable for the patient’s wrongful death due to the facility’s disregard for patient care.
Although the victim was in a critical state when she arrived at the hospital, the court found that the medical staff’s carelessness greatly led to her death and awarded N10 million in general damages.
A total of N10.2 million was awarded in compensation, with N200,000 going toward the expense of the lawsuit. n the event that ATBUTH chose to appeal the decision, he said that he was ready to defend the judgement.