Boy attacked by dogs discharged from hospital by father - Health Commissioner

The little boy, Omonigho Abraham, who was viciously attacked by two dogs in Lagos has been forcefully discharged from hospital by his dad, this is according to the Lagos State government who released a statement this morning explaining their side of the story. Omo has since been flown to India for treatment. Find what the Lagos State government posted on their Facebook page below...

Master Omonigho Abraham, the four year old boy who sustained extensive injuries to his body, and a life threatening injuries to his scalp following an attack by dogs has been discharged from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) by his father against medical advice, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, has said.

The Commissioner stated that all attempts to talk Mr. Odia Abraham, the father of the boy against taking this wrong step were rebuffed by him as he also signed necessary papers to show his desperation.

Omonigho was in the Burns & Plastics unit of LASUTH where he was receiving specialist treatment after a vicious dog attack at their rented apartment at 35, Adegboyega Street, Akesan, Igando area of Lagos State on the 29th of September 2014.

The Commissioner, who made the disclosure today while reviewing the 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 specialists on Friday, 28th of November, 2014 against medical advice after being thoroughly counseled that healthy granulation tissue growing on his son’s skull must not be interrupted.

While explaining the involvement of the State government in the management of Omonigho’s health, Idris said that the attention of the present administration, particularly the Governor, was drawn to the case of the boy, who was initially rushed to the Igando General Hospital, where he was stabilized 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 LASUTH 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, fluids and daily wound dressing in order to ensure that healthy granulation tissue can grow and cover the scalp before a skin graft can be successfully performed, stressing that the definitive management of Omonigho’s type of extensive and deep wounds is a skin graft.

He emphasized that when news of the sad and outrageous event was brought to the notice of the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, he immediately directed that young Omonigho be offered everything that will ensure that he did not only survive the injuries, but recovers optimally, so that the opportunity to reach his full potential is not tarnished by the unfortunate accident.

He also explained that the directive by the Governor ensured that Omonigho receives the best of care at no charge to his parents or family members and that Mr. Abraham, was thereafter invited to the State Ministry of Health where he received full re-imbursement for expenses he incurred previously in the management of the son’s health.

“He was given a full exemption from paying any fees for the management of his son’s health at LASUTH during his stay there and Omonigho while recovering wrote a little “thank you” letter to the Governor”, Idris noted.

He said while the boy was receiving care at LASUTH, he was also visited by the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who spent time with him and his parents to ensure that they were adequately taken care of, stressing that during her visit, she found young Omonigho to be clinically stable and doing very well.

Idris averred that whilst conservative wound management was being done in the Burns and Plastic Ward, in LASUTH, the State Government set plans in motion to take Omonigho abroad for further management, where all expenses incurred would be covered by the state government, and that this was communicated to his parents who had close and continuous contact with the Ministry of Health.

“After a thorough search, a suitable hospital was found that would care for the young boy. The chosen facility was the RAK Hospital, Dubai UAE. LASUTH established a communication channel with RAK Hospital and it was determined that Omonigho would require a meshed skin graft coverage of the exposed skull for the next phase of his management. The Governor thus approved the funds for the management of Omonigho, which includes traveling, feeding and accommodation at the RAK Hospital in Dubai, UAE”, the Commissioner stated.

He noted that the boy’s father was promptly informed of the plan and was invited to the State Ministry to discuss the details of the approval, travel plans and hospital arrangements, and was thereafter given a letter of approval stating the plans to fly his son abroad and was asked to provide his son’s passport with an accompanying family member in order to process visas and other travel requirements.

“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 added that the State government, in an effort to ensure the best care possible for Omonigho, also offered to support Mr. Abraham if he would rather go to India, in the hope that he would be getting the best care possible from the unnamed hospital in India, being sponsored by the NGO.

The Commissioner however disclosed that Mr. Abraham, for reasons best known to him, chose to take his son out of the hands of the plastic surgery specialists in LASUTH on Friday, 28th of November, 2014 against medical advice.

According to him, “the surgical team explained to Mr. Abraham that it was pertinent that the healthy granulation tissue growing on his son’s skull through the careful, thorough and expert care of the Plastic Surgery team must not be interrupted as this may cause infections to set in, and slow the healing process, as well as, delay any definitive reconstructive surgery. But Mr. Abraham unfortunately, took the ill-advised step to leave the facility after being thoroughly counseled by the specialist”.