Master OMONIGHO ABRAHAM, the four-year- old boy who sustained extensive injuries to his body, and a life threatening avulsion injuries to his scalp following a vicious attack by two Alsatian dogs in the compound of their rented apartment at 35, Adegboyega street, Akesan, Igando area of Lagos State on September 29, 2014, has been discharged against medical advice by his father, Mr Odia Abraham from the Burns & Plastics unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he was receiving specialist care.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, who made this known on Monday, while reviewing report of the plastic surgery specialists in LASUTH who attended to Omonigho, stated that the boy’s father took ill-advised step and chose to take his son out of the hands of the plastic surgery specialists in LASUTH on Friday, November 28, 2014 against medical advice after being thoroughly counseled that healthy granulation tissue growing on his son’s skull must not be interrupted.
He said all attempts to talk Mr Abraham against taking this wrong step were rebuffed by the man who even signed necessary papers to show his desperation.
Idris, while explaining the involvement of the state government in the management of Omonigho’s health, said the attention of the Lagos State government, particularly the governor, was drawn to the case of the boy, who was initially rushed to the Igando General Hospital, where he was stabilised and wounds cleaned by the medical team at the Accidents & Emergency ward of the hospital.
The commissioner added that Omonigho was thereafter referred to the Burns & Plastics unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where specialists in Plastic Surgery assessed him and promptly began to manage the life threatening avulsion injuries on his scalp which left most of his skull exposed.
The plastic surgery team, he said, placed the boy on Intravenous medication, Intravenous fluids and daily wound dressing in order to ensure that health granulation tissue can grow and cover the scalp before a skin graft could be successfully performed, stressing that the definitive management of Omonigho’s type of extensive and deep wounds was a skin graft.
According to the commissioner, the directive by the governor ensured that Omonigho would receive the best of care at no charge to his parents or family members, adding that Omonigho’s father, Mr Abraham; was thereafter invited to the state Ministry of Health where he received full reimbursement for expenses he incurred previously in the management of his son’s health.
“However, Mr Abraham informed us that a non-governmental organisation from Delta State has made arrangements to fly him and his son for medical treatment at a hospital in India. He was counseled on the benefits of receiving the package offered by the Lagos State government and was also advised to put forward his decision as soon as possible so that the necessary arrangements can be made to transfer his son and a family member of his choice to Dubai for the treatment,” the commissioner noted.
He said Mr Abraham, however, for reasons best known to him chose to take his son out of the hands of the plastic surgery specialists in LASUTH on Friday, November 28, 2014 against medical advice.
He also added that when news of the sad and outrageous event was brought to the notice of the governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, he was deeply moved with compassion like everyone else and directed that young Omonigho Abraham be offered everything that would ensure that he not only survived the injuries, but recovered optimally, so that his opportunity to reach his full potential was not tarnished by the unfortunate accident.
Source: Tribune
