The House of Representatives is set to investigate the death of a University Teaching Hospital LUTH Physician, Dr. Michael Umoh.
The resolution was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Adedayo Adesola (APC-Lagos State) at plenary Tuesday.
Against the background of conflicting versions of the cause of his death, the LUTH management by its Spokesperson, Omolola Fakeye in a statement recently debunked the claim that Dr Umoh died while on duty.
“The death of Dr Umoh is unfortunate but the narrative of a 72 hours non-stop shift is false.
“The record from the Neurosurgery unit shows that the last time he was on call was 13th and 14th September, 2023.
“He was not on call on the 15th, 16th and 17th (the day he died), contrary to the insinuations on social media.
“He was at home with his parents on September 16 and September 17″ Fakeye revealed.
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He added that, prior to this time, Umoh was on call on September 7 and 8.
Fakeye said further: “This shows that Dr Umoh was on call for a total number of four days in September, 2023.
“A delegation from LUTH visited the family on Wednesday to commiserate with the family and to get more details of the circumstances surrounding his death”.
Moving the motion on the incident, Adesola said that the importance of medical personnel as the fulcrum of the healthcare delivery system could not be overemphasised.
He recalled that on September 17, Umoh, a medical officer on residency programme in the LUTH reportedly died after spending 72 hours on duty in the Neurosurgery unit of the institution.
According to him, there is a recent related incident of a young female medical doctor who lost her life due to elevator failure in a general hospital, which could have been avoided with improved working conditions.
“There have been several other reports of medical personnel dying as a result of harsh working conditions and other forms of negligence, thus robbing the country of her best brains.
“Such cases have reinforced the agitation of National Association of Resident Doctors, Nigeria Medical Association and other associated bodies for improved conditions of service.
“This is seen in the recent industrial strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to press home their demands,” he said.
In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu mandated the Committees on Health Institutions and Labour and Employment Institutions to carry out the investigation and report back within six weeks.
He said that the aim was to ensure that medical personnel in Nigeria work under favourable conditions.
The House observed a minute of silence in honour of the deceased doctors.