The management of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, on Thursday, denied allegations that one of its house officers, Dr Michael Umoh, died after a 72-hour shift.
The hospital, in a statement issued by its management team in Lagos, noted that Dr Umoh’s death is unfortunate but the narrative of a 72-hour non-stop shift is false, News About Nigeria reports.
“LUTH management understands the fact that the family of Dr Umoh is presently mourning the death of their beloved son and requested the foreclosure of any media engagement regarding the death of their son. It is important for us as a management to make clarifications regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.
The statement reads in part: “Dr Umoh died on Sept 17 while in church with his parents. The management was informed, and the death was later confirmed by one of the Consultants in his unit (Neurosurgery).
“The death of Dr Umoh is unfortunate but the narrative of a 72 hours non-stop shift is false.
“The record from Neurosurgery unit shows that the last time he was on call was 13th and 14th September, 2023. He was not on call on the 15th, 16th and 17th (the day he died), contrary to the insinuations on social media. He was at home with his parents on Sept. 16 and Sept. 17,” the management said.
The hospital also revealed that a delegation from LUTH visited the family on Wednesday to commiserate with them and to also get more details of the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to them, the deceased parents gave the details of what they thought must have contributed to his death but pleaded that it was not meant for public consumption.
The management also described Dr Umoh as a hardworking and diligent house-officer and a very promising young man who will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues.
