Coroner's Inquest Reveals More On Sylvester Oromoni's Death

Dr. Aghogho Owhojede, who treated the late Sylvester Oromoni before his death, did not give a medical diagnosis for the 12-year-old student of Dowen College, Lagos.

Owhojede, the Oromoni family doctor, also did not issue the student’s certificate of death.

This is according to the counsel to Dowen College at a coroner’s inquest, held on Tuesday, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the student.

The counsel, Anthony Kpokpo, examined Owhojede at an Ikeja Coroner’s Court.

Owhojede gave evidence for more than seven hours (9:30 am to 5:15 pm) at the inquest.

He was questioned by the counsel representing Dowen College, two accused students of the school, Lagos State Government and Nigerian Bar Association.

Owhojede, who has practised general medicine for 24 years, has been the Oromoni family doctor for 15 years.

He treated the late student at home for acute malaria from November 26, 2021, until his death on November 30, 2021.

Holding Owhojede’s medical notes during proceedings, counsel to Dowen College, Kpokpo, said that the document revealed that Owhojede never gave a diagnosis for the late student.

Disputing Kpokpo’s claims, Owhojede said, “The diagnosis is not stated there (medical notes) but it is implied.”

The doctor disagreed with the counsel’s assertion that a medical note without a diagnosis “is directionless”, but agreed that it was not normal to treat a patient without a diagnosis.

Asking the medical doctor why he did not issue the late student’s certificate of death, Kpokpo said:  “You told the police that you did not issue a certificate of death because there was much wailing in your hospital.

“Were you one of those wailing? Did the wailing affect your professional judgment?”

Responding, Owhojede admitted not issuing a certificate of death due to the aforementioned reason.

He, however, said that he was not wailing on the day the student passed away and that the wailing did not affect his professional judgment.

“Did you at any point in time conclude that the child likely had an infection?” Kpokpo asked.

Responding, Owhojede said, “I knew he had a problem more than infection.”

The Dowen College lawyer added that the doctor’s medical notes revealed that the late student had an enlarged liver.

“The enlarged liver was discovered on November 26, 2021. You indicated that the deceased was in severe painful distress and was repeatedly opening his excoriated (damaged) lips and mouth,” he said.

Kpokpo asked the medical doctor if he conducted a liver function test to determine whether the organ was functioning optimally after he discovered that the late student had an enlarged liver.

“No I did not,” the doctor responded.

The counsel further asked why the doctor did not see the late student, who was in a critical state, for 32 hours (from 9.00 a.m. on November 27, 2021, until 5.00 p.m. on November 28, 2021).

“If he had been in your hospital, would you have been away from a patient under severe painful distress and enlarged liver for that long?” Kpokpo asked.

“The answer is yes. I visited him severally, a nurse was with him,” the doctor replied.

Kpokpo informed the inquest that the doctor’s medical notes of November 30, 2021, indicated that the late student was brought in Dead on Arrival (DoA) to his hospital.

He said that the time of the death was not indicated in the medical notes.

Bernard Oniga, counsel to Nigerian Bar Association, questioned Aghogho’s level of care.

“In your opinion, did you discharge a full and acceptable level of care, due diligence and professionalism in the care for the deceased, taking into consideration that he had an escalation of white blood cells from 6,800 to 17,500?

“His PCV dropped from 34 per cent on November 26, 2021, to 21 per cent on November 29, 2021, and his blood sugar crashed from 107 to 54, all within your care?” Oniga asked.

“Yes, my lord,” the medical doctor replied.

Adjourning proceedings, the Coroner, Mikhail Kadiri, said, “Case is adjourned to February 7 for further proceedings.

“The law firm of Falana and Falana should ensure attendance of the father of the deceased at the proceedings.

“Evidence of the pathologist will be taken on February 8.”