A Lagos State coroner indicted doctors from Premier Hospital for medical negligence that led to the death of patient Peju Ugboma. Magistrate Mukaila Fadeyi delivered the judgment at the Magistrate’s Court in Ogba, stating that the doctors failed to identify a pre‑existing condition before performing the surgery. Ugboma, 41, was the founder of the pastry company “I Luv Desserts” and died in April 2021, a few days after undergoing fibroid surgery at the hospital.
Almost two years after the Lagos‑based pastry chef’s death, the coroner’s inquest concluded that the hospital’s doctors were negligent. In June, the Lagos State Government, through the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, shut down the hospital’s intensive care unit pending the outcome of its investigation. Sixteen witnesses—including Ugboma’s husband, doctors, a pathologist and others—testified during the inquest, which began in May 2021. Her husband, Ijoma, alleged that his wife died because of the doctors’ negligence.
The coroner held that “the only logical insight to her death is a result of the combination of lack of due diligence of the doctors.” He said the failure to respond appropriately, substandard care, and inadequate optimal care contributed to her untimely demise. Additional factors included the absence of vital medical devices to detect intra‑abdominal bleeding, poor documentation of clinical notes, and the failure to involve appropriate surgeons immediately. The coroner emphasized that the hospital owed its patient better medical care and recommended that part‑time doctors should not be engaged.
Fadeyi called for a strict review of the code of conduct and ethics for medical practitioners to severely punish negligent doctors. He urged the state government to extend funding beyond government hospitals to private facilities so they can purchase essential equipment, and he advocated for regulatory agencies to increase sensitisation on patients’ rights.
In reaction to the judgment, the victim’s husband expressed satisfaction, telling journalists that his lawyers would advise him on the next steps. “I’m very happy with the outcome of the inquest; it’s been a very long one. The circumstances of my wife’s death were not satisfactory. My children told me to send them a message in school as soon as the ruling is out,” he said. The family’s lawyer, Babatunde Ogungbamila, said justice had been served but that the medical services had failed the family. He added that they would seek compensation, enforce the verdict and hold the doctors accountable.
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