Ajima and Susan Ogbole, two Nigerian ladies whose medical treatments at AZ Sint-Jan Hospital in Belgium resulted to life-altering damages, have asked the Nigerian government to pressure the Belgian government into investigating the matter and ensuring justice is served.
The petition was written to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and copied the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire; and the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri.
FIJ first reported that Ajima Ogbole’s cervix was mistakenly cut during a surgery to remove fibroid. The situation rendered her unable to get pregnant and birth a child, prompting her sister-in-law, Susan Ajima, a mother of two children, to act as a surrogate for her. Susan became crippled after a ceasarean section carried out in the same hospital — a damage family members suspect was caused by an epidural anaesthesia that was improperly administered. The hospital denies, blaming an “African bacterium infection” — another assertion that has been medically invalidated.
“The hospital AZ Sint-Jan still sends us high bills for medical treatments that were required after her paralysis. They don’t show any remorse and are rejecting any form of conversation to take responsibility for Susan’s treatment. Instead, they are more worried about bills to be paid,” the petition partly read.
“We hereby request that you use your good office to prevail on the Belgian government to cause an investigation to be made into this matter and justice be served against AZ Sint-Jan…”
When contacted, Ms Dabiri, the Chairman of NiDCOM directed FIJ to the Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, who could not confirm whether the petition had been received by the commission 10 days after it was sent.
“Until I see the petition and I see the comment of the chairman on it…,” he said.
“We have a legal department and so for something that has legal implication, I will not want give an opinion that will be taken as the position of the commission.”
Geoffrey Onyeama, theMinister of Foreign Affairs was yet to reply to request for comment as of the time of publishing this report.
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