The Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal has sanctioned two doctors; identified as Joseph Iyoha and Mukaila Oladipo for their carelessness which led to the death of a three-month-old baby, named Peace Oluwole.
According to the Tribunal, the doctors, who were prosecuted on seven counts, were unprofessional in the administration of the three-month-old baby and failed to do all that was needful and reasonable for the treatment of the patient.
Abba Waziri, The chairman of the Tribunal, in the ruling obtained by THE PUNCH said Iyoha, who was found guilty of three counts, did not display sensible diligence.
The Tribunal said Iyoha prescribed and caused to be administered on the late Oluwole, oral chloroquine, fansidar, and several other drugs, thereby exposing the baby to multiple anti-malarial when the baby had been placed on Artemether injection.
The Medical and Dental Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal added that Oladipo on his part was found guilty of two counts because even though he found the patient to be asphyxiated and in obvious respiratory distress, he chose to busy himself with taking the patient’s history for more than 30 minutes rather than attend to the obvious emergency.
While Oladipo was given a three-month suspension, Iyoha was convicted and admonished.
The third doctor, Obafemi Kuye, who was charged with professional carelessness for failing to take any comprehensive or proper history of the patient’s condition and failure to review or attend to the patient throughout the period of admission, was, however, discharged and acquitted.
The MDPDT said, “He took a noteworthy and reasonable history of the patient’s condition and made a note of them. The baby’s maternal history and post-delivery notes were all in the file. Dr. Obafemi Kuye should, therefore, be complimented and not reprimanded for his competence and professionalism in this respect. He did no wrong. The Tribunal holds the pondered view that he is not guilty on count 5.”
