Hospital Denies Power Outage Caused Woman’s Death During Surgery
The management of Jummai Babangida Aliyu Neonatal and Maternal Hospital in Minna, Niger State, has denied claims that a power outage during surgery caused the death of Mrs. Ramatu Makusidi.
According to the hospital, in a statement, a myomectomy procedure on the deceased was successful and concluded without fatal interruption.
The hospital stated that a brief power outage occurred during the surgery, but power was restored before the procedure ended, and the patient’s vital signs were stable post-operation.
It added, however, that Makusidi died 12 hours later, despite resuscitative efforts.
The hospital suggested possible causes of death could be haemorrhage or postoperative sepsis, common complications of myomectomy surgery, rather than power outage or medical negligence.
“I am writing this so that His Excellency our former governor may not be misled into victimising the highly industrious and patriotic health workers who have always sacrificed their whole lives just so that lives can be saved.
“Did you know that the myomectomy surgery of late Mrs Ramatu Makusidi was successful and that she didn’t die on the operating table as a result of the power outage that has been peddled around in the social media space?
“Maybe the public needs to also know that the late Mrs Ramatu’s operation lasted about 2 hours from 4:25 to 6:35 (on the 23rd April 2025). Of course at the tail end of the surgery (during the wound closure), there was a power interruption that lasted just for a few minutes. And just when the generator was about to be on, the power was restored and the surgery ended successfully. It is important to clarify that the few minutes of power outage didn’t in any way affect the outcome of the surgery.
“The patient was postoperatively observed and found stabled with all vital signs within normal range.
“The deceased was then transferred to ward for the continuation of post operative management.
“At 5:23am the next day (23 April 2025), the patient’s condition changed and died at 7:23 pm at approximately 12 hours after the surgery, defying all resuscitative efforts to save her life.
“It is extremely important that the general public is informed that not fewer than 15 surgeries were successfully carried out on that fateful day and only Mrs Ramatu died quite unfortunately 12 hours after the surgery. It will appear even shocking to the general public that these surgeries were done by only 4 doctors who have worked from 9:00am to 6:30pm,” the statement said.
However, the deceased’s husband, UB Shehu, contradicted the hospital’s account, alleging gross negligence, power failure, and unprofessional conduct led to his wife’s death.
He claimed the hospital’s generator lacked fuel during the surgery and staff were incompetent.
“It’s not the diesel-powered Mikano generator. It’s just a bigger version of ‘I pass my neighbour.’
“The nurse attending to her looked like an IT student. There was supposed to be a bag attached to collect fluid from her abdomen, but the doctor forgot to plug it. I alerted the nurse, but she said she didn’t know how to fix it and had informed the doctor,” he narrated.
According to Shehu, his wife’s condition worsened after a doctor’s aide delayed connecting the drainage bag, allowing blood to accumulate.
He added that his wife begged for water and food, warning that she would die without it.
When she began gasping for air, Shehu claimed that the nurse failed to notice, prompting him to seek help. Despite efforts in the ICU, the oxygen tubes allegedly didn’t fit, and she died.
Shehu condemned the hospital’s response as heartless, stating it showed a lack of empathy and ignored calls for improvement to safeguard patients’ lives.
Meanwhile, the Niger State House of Assembly has formed a committee to investigate allegations of negligence at the hospital.
Hospital Denies Power Outage Caused Woman’s Death During Surgery is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
