By Joke Kujenya
FRANTIC TO rescue his wife, Mrs. Elle Ebunoluwa Babatunde, 27, from the grips of death, Adebayo Oladipo Babatunde, 49, is calling on Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Health Commissioner Tommy Coker to please come to their rescue.
In a passionate appeal with tears, he narrated how the whole saga began on Sunday, April 21st, when she started experiencing contractions to give birth to their first child, later named Dorcas.
Narrating the ordeal in Yoruba to JKNewsMedia, he said: “I suddenly got a call before 10:00 am that she was going into labour at OlaOluwa Health Centre, a private hospital in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
I work in Lagos and only go home on weekends because I have to support her and the coming baby. So, I monitor my family via regular phone calls. So, I kept on monitoring the situation same way. We are very close and we talk daily, if not hourly.
But several hours later, she was still in labour and the medical officials told me there was no success in the delivery yet. I began to get worried but they kept assuring me not to worry.
Though she’s young and robust, we never thought anything could go wrong with our first child.
Around noon, I called to see if I should rush to Abeokuta; but they still told me to calm down, assuring me everything would be okay. They said they were on top of the situation and that I would soon hear the news of joy.
I had a job at hand that would fetch me some money for further treatment, so I decided to quickly finish it and get the money to take to Abeokuta. But I was working with a divided mind, praying to God to save my wife and the child.
I tried a few times again but the network prevented the calls from going through until about 4:00 pm. When I called, one of the nurses said they were still working on her and that if by 6:00 pm the baby hadn’t come out, they would consult me to make a decision.
The nurse also told me that they might have no other choice but to perform surgery. I told her okay, if that’s what would save their lives.
Again, I called at 6:00 pm. The person who answered still told me to calm down and that they would call me soon.
By this time, I became seriously worried and restless, closed my business for the day, and started making preparations to head to Abeokuta.
I went home, picked my clothes, and headed for the motor park. The vehicle didn’t fill up on time, so we were there from about 7:00 pm until about 9:00 pm.
I called from inside the bus and started shouting, asking what’s really going on. You said you would call me and I haven’t heard anything. Let me talk to my wife and so on. But they still insisted I should remain calm that she’s fine, only that the baby is yet to come out.
The vehicle still needed two more passengers to get filled. Then, they told me that the pregnancy had ‘come down,’ indicating that the baby would soon come out.
I became seriously worried in the bus while other passengers started to calm me down, saying I needed to be strong for my wife and child.
While at that, one of the hospital nurses called me back to say they were moving her to Global Health Hospital & Maternity Centre at 13, Ajegunle Street off Lisabi Elite Club, there in Abeokuta, Ogun State, which is another private facility known for handling complicated births.
I shouted, asking why not take her to a public hospital right away. But the nurse told me not to worry, that Global Hospital is good at handling such situations, and they always work in collaboration. So, I said, okay.
When they got there, it was still around past 9:00 pm because we were on the phone all through. Then, a male voice, who said he was the doctor, came on the line and told me that with my wife with them, I had nothing to worry about and that I should really calm down.
By this time, our bus had started its trip, so I was hoping to reach Abeokuta fast and catch up with them.
Then, the doctor told me they had to perform a Caesarian Section and that my bill was N270,000 for CS. At first, I tried to negotiate for N200,000, but he said that’s how it is done. So, I told him no problem and requested the hospital’s account details which were promptly sent to me. I made part-payments through my phone, and asked them to go ahead with the CS.
Around 10:00 pm, I got a call from the hospital that the surgery was successful. Relieved, I asked after my wife and child and was told that they were both doing fine, and that in another five to ten minutes, they’d finish dressing them to speak with me. I became so happy and relieved.
I kept with them on the phone while still on the bus.
A few minutes later, they placed my wife on the phone and I spoke with her. They adivsed me it was late and I should come to the hospital the next morning.
Early the next day, which was a Monday, I arrived at the hospital and saw both mother and child. They were both fine.
They had to be well taken care of, so both stayed in the hospital until Friday, April 27th when she was discharged with the baby to ensure she was okay before sending them home.
But I needed to complete their remaining bills, so my family stayed until Saturday, April 28th when I was able to clear all necessary payments.
By Monday, we had a small christening ceremony and named the baby girl, Dorcas.
But a few days after the naming, by Thursday, my wife complained of pains in her stomach. So, we went to the hospital where she was operated on as I had been delaying some work.
However, I was unable to leave her because she couldn’t sleep due to the pain. We both stayed up through the night, keeping the vigil to seek her relief.
In the morning, we quickly went to the hospital. They ran some laboratory tests, asked us to do a scan, which we did, and prescribed some drugs for her.
After paying the N13,000 billed for the scan, we waited for the result. It showed some water in her stomach. The hospital assured us it was no problem and that they would drain the water out of her stomach, and she had to be admitted for that.
I said it was alright. They admitted her and began to promptly drain the water. So, I didn’t think of traveling again.
However, despite draining the water from her system, she continued in agony, unable to sleep, crying and rolling in pain. She kept holding her stomach in tears, complaining of acute pains. I became totally confused because she couldn’t care for the infant who was also crying and sleepless. She couldn’t even breastfeed the baby.
This continued through April and May, but we kept on with the prescribed medications, which often gave slight relief but no permanent cure.
So, one day, I decided we had to return to Global Medical Health Centre.
And we were quickly referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) on May 8th for upgraded and specialized treatment.
But by this time, I was totally broke and penniless, so I advised we go to the General Hospital instead.
Promptly, the General Hospital told us to go to the FMC as officially referred by the Global Hospital for proper attention and treatment. Along the line, I pleaded with my wife to let me scout for money to pay for her treatments, so I asked my mother to accompany her to the hospital.
The FMC said they couldn’t allow an aged woman to stay with her due to the rigors of running errands in the big hospital. They demanded either a young family member or myself. However, I hadn’t gotten any money by then and going to the hospital without anything would be of no use.
I ran down to Lagos to sell some of my work tools to pay the hospital bills. I combined my job with being a Keke NAPEP (Marwa) driver. I also sold it for N800,000 to get money to return to Abeokuta.
The same day I returned to Abeokuta with the money, they noticed her stomach had slightly opened and some dirt-like pores were coming out from her private part. It was so much that everywhere was wet, and we all became very afraid. Her eyes also became bloodshot, and the whole house smelled. I became very afraid, especially with an infant baby in such a place.
Both of them were always unable to sleep at night. I thought they were going to die, but I kept praying for them. With N800,000 in my pocket, we ran to the FMC. They collected the referral paper, we got the necessary card, and she was promptly attended to. They placed her in a ward and prescribed drugs to buy. Immediately, I bought all her medications.
We got to the FMC on Saturday, May 20th. Another surgical operation was performed on her in the evening of Sunday, May 21st, and it was successful. After some time, they moved her to a ward, and we felt everything was okay.
Her body suddenly let out a gush of water on Monday, May 29th, everywhere became wet, and I was asked to come over. When I got there, a cleaner wanted to clean the water, but the nurses said no, it shouldn’t be cleaned that doctors had to see it. So, they called in the doctors who said they had never seen anything like it before. They all left without saying a word.
We kept on nursing her until after one week when they called me, saying if there was no improvement, they would have to perform another surgery on her.
Lest I forget, after the first operation at the FMC, when the medical team came out of the theatre, I heard them saying the first doctor who performed the operation on my wife ought to be arrested and jailed for doing a terrible thing on my wife’s body. They said the water they drained from her body was too much and they had never seen such in any human being.
That is how I have been shuttling between Lagos and Abeokuta, begging colleagues to work with their Marwa to get some money and run back to the hospital. One day, a doctor confidentially told me they’re not really sure what is wrong with my wife, and from her condition, it seems they have to keep operating on her. I began to cry because I was mentally and emotionally drained. Yet, I had to keep returning to Lagos to work for money to pay the medical bills.
On June 13th, she was wheeled into the theatre again, more water drained from her body, and I thought I would have some relief.
But overnight on June 16th, all we saw was blood gushing out of her body non-stop. It was so much that she passed out, and doctors had to quickly place her on oxygen to stabilize her since about 4:00 am on June 17th.
She is still on oxygen till now. I don’t know the next step. I have sold all my work tools. I can’t go to Lagos as I have no transport fare. The doctors have told me they will stop treating her if I don’t pay up. I have been spending about N70,000 to N100,000 weekly at the FMC. They keep prescribing expensive drugs.
She has not seen the baby since we brought her here.
She has to be bandaged all the time to keep the blood from staining everywhere. I can’t count how many bandages I have bought since June 16th and I have no money left. The baby is our first child and I met her as a virgin. The FMC has loaned us some pints of blood because I have no money to buy any. All the new drugs prescribed for her, I haven’t been able to buy because I have no money and no one to turn to.
I am sitting in front of the surgical ward to see my patient. Doctors are no longer attending to her because I have no money to pay them. They just come around, look at her, and leave without giving her any medical attention.
I have been buying drugs morning, noon, and night but now, they are not writing any because they know I have tried my best and have nowhere else to go.
She’s still bleeding as we speak.
I am just sitting here with my phone: 09066399007, hoping for a miracle and pleading: “Please, don’t let her die. I have spent all I have to save her. I have nowhere or nothing else to fall back on or feed the baby with.”
Now, sitting outside the surgical ward, Adebayo clings to hope. His phone, his last link to the outside world, is a torch for any miracle that might come their way. With every ounce of strength and love, he calls out to Governor Dapo Abiodun, the State First Lady and Health Commissioner Tommy Coker, that their support is the only hope to make the difference between life and death for this young mother and her family, as well as the assistance of all compassionate Nigerians to save his wife.
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