Deborah Doofan, a 100-level student of Banking and Finance at the University of Port Harcourt, passed away outside the Emergency Ward of Lagos University Teaching Hospital due to a lack of bed space for prompt treatment.
She had been suffering from hyperthyroidism, which was diagnosed in January 2022. After being referred from one hospital to another, she had been waiting for a cardiologist at LUTH to certify her heart condition before beginning treatment.
However, due to the expense of seeing specialists and the CBN’s new naira design causing issues with accessing funds, she had been taking oral drugs that were not effective.
On the day of her death, her brother pleaded with the doctor to allow her to receive first aid treatment while they waited for a bed space, but they were refused. The family is now preparing for her burial in Benue.
The Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at LUTH, Prof Wasiu Adeyemo, is aware of the situation and stated that the hospital has effective communication with patients and that they are building a new hospital to provide more space.
