Family Demands N500m Compensation From LASUTH Over Woman’s Death

The family of the late Mrs Adegoke Mosekola Dorcas, a 59-year-old woman who died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in January 2024, has demanded N500 million in compensation from the hospital over alleged medical negligence and wrongful death.

The demand was contained in a September 14, 2026 letter by Wale Ogunade Chambers, solicitors to the deceased’s adult children, addressed to the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH.

According to the lawyers, Mrs Adegoke was admitted to LASUTH and underwent right adrenalectomy on January 11, 2024, during which she allegedly suffered an injury to the inferior vena cava, resulting in massive haemorrhage and cardiac arrest.

She was subsequently managed in the Intensive Care Unit and later transferred to the surgical ward.

The letter stated that by January 16, 2024, the deceased had regained consciousness and was reportedly certified fit for discharge, with instructions for the removal of her arterial line and discontinuation of intravenous medications.

However, the family alleged that at about 7pm that day, a nurse administered vecuronium, identified in the letter as Neovec-10, through the arterial line. The lawyers alleged that the drug was presented to the family as an antibiotic.

The family said Mrs Adegoke immediately developed severe breathing difficulty, seizures and cardiac arrest following the injection. The lawyers further alleged that she suffered hypoxic brain injury and subsequently died on January 24, 2024.

The documents include a LASUTH post-mortem report signed by Consultant Pathologist, Dr D.A. Sanni, which records the cause of death as hypoxic brain injury, cerebral oedema, adverse drug reaction and bronchopneumonia.

The post-mortem report also documented several pathological findings, including pulmonary consolidation with collapse, subpleural petechiae, cardiomegaly, right suprarenal haematoma and left adrenal haemorrhage. It stated that toxicology samples, including blood, urine, vitreous fluid, gastric contents, liver, kidney and lung samples, were retained.

The solicitors alleged that following the incident and subsequent death, LASUTH refunded some medical expenses and provided burial support, while accusing the hospital management of failing to provide the family with final investigation findings and evidence of regulatory sanctions against personnel allegedly involved.

The family is demanding a formal written apology from LASUTH, N500 million in compensatory damages, and certified copies of internal investigation reports and any petitions submitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

The lawyers gave LASUTH 30 days from receipt of the letter to meet the demands, warning that failure to do so would result in civil proceedings at the High Court of Lagos State and petitions to relevant regulatory and government authorities.

The letter was copied to the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, and the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency.

The documents reviewed contain the allegations and medical records relied upon by the deceased’s family and their solicitors. They do not contain LASUTH’s response to the compensation demand.