Sad: Health of boy attacked by dogs worsens

 

It appears the condition of four-year-old Omonigho Abraham, who was attacked by two dogs in the Igando area of Lagos State about a month ago, has worsened in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja where he is currently receiving treatment.

We learnt from his father, Odia, that Omonigho’s scalp which was torn off by the German shepherd dogs during the gruesome attack, had not healed and had been giving off an offensive odour.

He said this had given the family serious concern.

Odia told our correspondent on Wednesday that attempts to get the medical report of his condition had also been frustrated by some medical officers in the hospital.

He said, “My boy still complains of pains in different parts of his body. Also, when they open the bandage on his head, you will see that there is no much difference. It’s still like the first time the incident happened.

“In fact, for up to two weeks no consultant or doctor attended to him, and his head started smelling.

“We have been told he may still have to be admitted for six months or up to one year, for the doctors to do a skin-grafting surgery on his open skull. They will cut skin from parts of his body, to cover up the skull.”

He added that he had also continued to foot the bills of the boy, despite the instruction of the state government to the hospital management not to collect any money for his expenses.

Our correspondent gathered that a non-governmental organisation had to raise money for Omonigho’s drugs and over N100, 000 had been purportedly spent in buying drugs, among other expenses.

The report of a fundraising for Omonigho’s medical expenses was said to have angered the management of LASUTH who allegedly accused Odia of making money off his son’s predicament.

The father of three told our correspondent he was called into a meeting on Tuesday in which the management of the hospital promised to start implementing the state government’s pledge to the Abrahams.

He said, “The Lagos State Government, through its Ministry of Health, has already played its part by writing a letter to LASUTH that it would foot all the bills for which we are grateful.

“But when the letter got to them, they did not implement it. I was still buying the drugs till yesterday (Tuesday) that I was exhausted and I cried out that I did not have any money to buy drugs again.

“That was when the management of the hospital led by the Chief Medical Director, apologised and promised to start implementing the state government’s order.

“I have decided to wait for at least a week and see if they will change, like they promised.”

Odia said the Delta State Government and a few other people were interested in the medical report which had not been issued to him.

“The real issue I have now is that they (LASUTH) have not released the medical report which I asked for since October 16. They (LASUTH) have been directing me from one person to another and I am getting tired. If I see the report, I will know what exactly to do about this issue.”

Attempts to get the reaction of the management of LASUTH proved abortive as its Public Relations Officer, Dele Johnson, neither picked his call nor responded to a text message sent to his phone.