Nigerian author accuses hospital of stalling review into her son's death

Prominent Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has accused a hospital in Lagos of obstructing an inquest into the circumstances surrounding her baby son's death.

A coronial inquest into the death of her 21-month-old son, Nknau, at Euracare hospital in January had been due to start in April, Aidichie said.

The author now alleges that Euracare has "stalled and muddied and obfuscated" over the inquest and has requested Nigeria's Federal High Court block the inquiry.

The BBC has approached Euracare for comment. An investigation panel set up by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria had previously found a possible case of medical negligence against the hospital.

Adichie recently published a letter on social media which she had sent to the hospital's director in April.

It was her first public comment since the death of her son, who was one of twin boys born in 2024, using a surrogate.

"If Euracare cares about the truth, then why create delays and distractions and now, finally, try to stop an inquest," she wrote in her post.

Explaining why she posted the letter, she wrote: "The ultimate and utter loneliness of grief is that only you can know the true depth of your despair.

"I long for, at least, peace to mourn, but Euracare Hospital has robbed me even of that."

In her letter, Adichie said that the hospital noted her son's death was from bacterial meningitis, to which she responded: "There was no medical evidence to make such a claim on his death certificate."

Adiche and her family have accused Euracare of negligence, saying medics denied Nkanu oxygen and gave him too much sedation, causing a cardiac arrest.

The hospital has expressed its "deepest sympathies" over the death but denied wrongdoing, saying its care had been in line with international standards.

In the letter, she accuses the hospital of providing incomplete medical records, which she described as "strikingly unprofessional", adding that "one was inaccurate".

According to submissions made to the court by Adichie's legal team, Nkanu had initially been admitted to Atlantis Hospital in Lagos with what was described as a worsening but mild illness.

Plans had been made to transfer him to the United States for further treatment at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, before the toddler was referred to Euracare for a pre-flight inspection, including an MRI and a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture.

Nkanu died on 7 January after undergoing the various diagnostic tests at Euracare hospital.

Adichie has authored multiple award-winning novels including Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013), and has recently hosted panels of world leaders, including former US Vice-President Kamala Harris while she was promoting her autobiography and ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.

She lives in the US but was in Nigeria for the Christmas holidays.

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