In brief
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has publicly accused Euracare hospital of stalling the coronial review of her son’s death. The investigation, scheduled to begin in April, has been postponed after the hospital allegedly flooded the process with delays and misinformation. Adichie has asked the Federal High Court to halt the inquiry, citing a lack of medical evidence about her son’s cause of death. A prior medical panel had already flagged possible negligence at the facility, but the hospital maintains its treatment met international standards.
Prominent author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has lodged formal complaints against Euracare hospital in Lagos, alleging the facility obstructed the coronial examination of her 21‑month‑old son. The e‑mail, sent to the hospital’s director, is dated April and follows a scheduled inquest that was supposed to commence in April, six months after the child’s death.
Adichie says the hospital’s staff have “stalled, muddied and obfuscated” the review, and she has requested that the Federal High Court block the inquiry. Her lawyer’s submissions claim that her son was treated at two different hospitals before being transferred to Euracare for a pre‑flight check at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
The baby died on 7 January after undergoing an array of diagnostic procedures, including an MRI and a lumbar puncture. While Euracare declared the death to have been caused by bacterial meningitis, the author maintains that the death certificate does not reflect medical evidence supporting that assertion.
Adichie has accused the hospital of medical neglect, stating that her son was denied oxygen and given excessive sedation, which she believes led to cardiac arrest. The institution, however, has expressed deep sympathy but insists that its care complied with international standards.
Earlier, an investigation panel appointed by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had flagged possible negligence at the health facility. Adichie’s letter, published on social media, was her first public comment since the loss of the child, who was one of two twins conceived via surrogacy.
The author, who has earned acclaim for novels such as Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, lives primarily in the United States but was visiting Nigeria for the Christmas holidays when her son’s death occurred.
