The management team of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has refuted claims that Dr. Michael Umoh, one of its house officers, died after working a 72-hour shift. The denial came in a statement released by LUTH on Thursday.
Previously, it was alleged that Dr. Umoh, a medical doctor at LUTH, died after performing an uninterrupted 72-hour surgery at the neurosurgery unit.
In response, the Association of Resident Doctors, in a protest letter addressed to the chief medical director and titled ‘An Appeal By The House Officers of LUTH’, expressed their heartfelt condolences for the loss of their colleague while also accusing senior colleagues of bullying and neglecting their welfare needs.
While acknowledging the grief of the deceased doctor’s family and their request for privacy, LUTH emphasized the importance of clarifying the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to LUTH management, “Dr. Umoh passed away on September 17 while attending a church service with his parents. The hospital was promptly notified, and the death was confirmed by one of the Consultants in the Neurosurgery unit.”
Disputing the narrative of a 72-hour non-stop shift, LUTH stated, “The records from the Neurosurgery unit indicate that Dr. Umoh’s last on-call duty was on September 14, 2023. He was not on call on the 15th, 16th, and 17th, the day of his death. On September 16 and September 17, he was at home with his parents. Prior to this, he had been on call on September 7 and September 8.”
“This demonstrates that Dr. Umoh was on call for a total of four days in September 2023,” LUTH clarified.
