The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Garki Hospital, Abuja, Dr Adamu Onu, on Monday, told the independent investigative panel of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on violations of rights by the defunct SARS and other police units that the allegations made against the hospital by one Chinenye Igwetu before the panel were untrue.
Igwetu had filed a petition before the panel, marked 2020/IIP-SARS/ABJ/10, alleging the extra-judicial killing of her younger sister, Linda Igwetu, who was as of the time of her death a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service member.
Respondents in the petition are Inspector Benjamin Peters; the FCT Commissioner of Police; Inspector-General of Police; CMD, Garki Hospital and the Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
While testifying before the panel on November 4, 2020, Igwetu alleged that Inspector James shot her sister on July 3, 2018, adding that she was asked to deposit N50,000 for the treatment of the deceased at the Garki Hospital.
She further alleged that the hospital told her that the deceased had lost a lot of blood and needed to be transfused, adding that despite her willingness to donate blood she was told that a woman could not donate blood and that she should look for a male to do so.
Denying the allegations on Monday, the CMD, who was summoned by the panel on November 16, 2020, declared that the allegations were not true, adding that they were a false and clear misrepresentation of fact.
“I am here on behalf of Garki Hospital. The complainant in her petition alleged that her late sister was denied treatment on that day. I am here to say that the allegation is not true, a false and clear misrepresentation of fact,” Dr Onu said.
According to him, as a matter of policy, the hospital did not demand money to treat anybody that reported at its accident and emergency unit since 2007, declaring that, “the case at hand is not different.”
He added that the allegation that she was asked to go and look for a male blood donor was also untrue.
The CMD informed the panel that CCTV was installed in every part of the hospital, including the accident and emergency unit, adding that there were videos of what transpired the day the deceased was brought to the hospital.
He informed that during the hospital’s appearance before the committee set up by the Senate to investigate the issue, the policewoman who told the petitioner to go and get a male donor owed up that she was the one who told her so and not the hospital.
Earlier, counsel for the hospital, Nekabari Annah, objected to the panel hearing the petition on the ground that the hospital was neither SARS nor a police unit.
According to him, the matter had previously been heard and concluded by a panel set up by the NHRC, adding that the panel was headed by an Assistant Director with the Commission, Dahiru Bobo Esq.
“The report of the investigative panel was dated December 13, 2018,” he informed.
Annah further told the panel that the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development also set up a committee on the issue, adding that the counsel for the police, James Idachaba, also appeared before the Senate committee.
He also informed that Igwetu also wrote a memorandum to the MDCN, which he said in its report stated that no prima facie fault was established against the hospital.
He, therefore, submitted that the Garki Hospital was not involved in any extra-judicial killing, adding that the hospital was involved in the business of saving a life.
After his submission, the chairman of the panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima (retd), ruled that Annah’s objection was well taken, adding, however, that in the interest of fair hearing, the CMD should explain to it circumstances that led to Linda’s death.
Meanwhile, MDCN, which also appeared before the panel today, told the panel that there was no prima facie case established against any doctors in Garki Hospital.
The council was represented by its Assistant Registrar, Professional Discipline Department, Dr Enejo Abdu, who informed that the Council did not investigate hospitals but medical practitioners.
The panel has adjourned the petition till April 8 for the adoption of written addresses.
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