The family of Peju Ugboma, a Lagos-based chef and CEO of I Luv Deserts who died on April 25, have accused doctors at Premier Specialist Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos, of negligence resulting in her death.

In a statement made public on Saturday, the family revealed that Peju died of internal bleeding following a surgical procedure in the hospital.

The award-winning chef was admitted into the hospital on Thursday, April 22, in preparation for a fibroid surgery billed to take place the following morning.

“She walked into the hospital herself unaided as it was by no means an emergency medical procedure.  She had concluded all the necessary tests required before the surgery, including ECG, PCV, and COVID-19 tests. Her vitals were okay and she had no preexisting conditions prior to surgery,” the statement reads in part.

“All payments were made for the preliminary tests. The hospital demanded that their account be funded to the tune of N1.5 million and the family deposited N1 million immediately.”

Peju complained of abdominal pain after the surgery, and despite advice from a UK gynecologist that she might be bleeding internally, doctors at Premier reportedly refused to take any actions to that effect and did little as her condition deteriorated between Friday and Sunday afternoon when she eventually died.

“It’s worthy to note that none of the gynecologists who performed the surgery attended to her throughout that Saturday despite all her pain and concerns expressed by her husband,” the family noted.

Following Peju’s death, an independent autopsy carried out by pathologists at LASUTH revealed that she suffered internal bleeding and had about “two liters of blood in her abdomen and pelvic area”.

“It is clear that Peju bled internally from Friday after the surgery till Sunday when she died, and it is shocking to note that Premier Hospital was negligent enough not to pick this up and save her life,” the family insisted.

In another case, Omolara Omoyajuwolo, a staff member of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), was said to have suffered a similar fate at Beachland Hospital, Arepo.

In a Twitter thread on Saturday, Omolara’s friend chronicled the experience that led to her death after a battle with ulcer.

From an epileptic monitoring device to insufficient oxygen and sheer lack of empathy among medical practitioners, the account points to health mismanagement as the reason for Omolara’s death.

My friend Lara feeling some type of way (ulcer attack as she claimed in her status) she went to the hospital,tested + also to malaria (according to her) & was given some injections… and then she went back home….Thread #JusticeForOmolara #reformthehealthsysteminnigeria pic.twitter.com/H0x2l6YJLg

— 06•05 💔 (@charah_xx) May 8, 2021

“Health mismanagement and negligence of the health workers in Beachland Specialist Hospital, Arepo, killed my friend, Omolara Omoyajuwolo,” the friend said. “There was no ambulance. There was no supporting oxygen. There was no nurse.”