In what appears to be a deeply unsettling case, Mrs Suzan Okeafor has accused Lagos-based doctor, Joseph Ayelaje, of performing a hysterectomy (womb removal surgery) without her consent. The mother of two claims she had only consented to a fibroid removal but was horrified to learn weeks later that her womb had been taken out. This claim has been denied by the gynaecologist, GODFREY GEORGE writes

For Mrs Suzan Okeafor, 44, life has not been the same since March 29, 2024, when she went under the knife.

What was supposed to be a straightforward myomectomy?an operation to remove fibroids?ended with her womb being taken out ?without her consent.?

The doctor Involved, the Managing Director of Holyfill Hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos, Joseph Ayelaja, however, claimed that she gave her consent.

Our correspondent learnt that the gynaecologist has since reached out to several bodies, including the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, to broker peace.

Now, Suzan, a mother of two daughters, grapples with anxiety, panic attacks, and the haunting reality that her chance to bear another child has been taken from her forever.

A simple consultation

It all began in February when she and her family registered with Holyfill Hospital.

Ayelaja was recommended by her health maintenance organisation, Marina Medical Services Limited, as someone capable of performing the fibroid surgery she urgently needed.

The procedure, known as a myomectomy, was supposed to help her find relief from pain, heavy bleeding, and other symptoms caused by the fibroids, which had already caused one miscarriage and hindered further pregnancies.

?When I met with the doctor,? she recalls, ?he suggested a hysterectomy.? A hysterectomy involves the removal of the womb, permanently ending a woman?s ability to conceive.

But according to Suzan, she was clear about her wishes.

?I told him that was not an option for me. I wanted the myomectomy done as soon as possible to avoid another heavy menstrual flow.?

The woman said she declined having a hysterectomy and opted for the less invasive myomectomy, which would remove the fibroids while leaving her womb intact.

Her health maintenance organisation approved the request promptly, she told Saturday PUNCH.

The surgery was initially scheduled for March 30 but was moved to March 29 due to scheduling conflicts on the doctor?s end.

On that day, the highly apprehensive woman arrived at the hospital with her husband, both confident that she would leave the operating theatre with restored health and her family?s dreams intact.

A successful surgery?

Suzan said she asked the hospital staff if her husband could be present during the surgery, but her request was turned down.

After the procedure, when the effect of the anaesthesia had worn off, there was no indication that anything had gone wrong.

For the duration of her recovery at the hospital, she said she repeatedly asked to see the fibroid that was removed. But, according to her, each time, she was given vague responses and saw nothing.

Two months passed, and yet, something felt wrong ? she had not had her menstrual cycle since the surgery.

On a follow-up visit to the hospital, her world was upended by a shocking revelation.

?That was when the doctor bluntly told me the most horrible news ever?that he took out my womb,? she recounted, her voice tinged with disbelief.

?I was in shock. I quickly ran to the nearest lab to do a pelvic scan, and that was where I confirmed the horrible truth that he really did take out my womb.?

Her devastation was immediate and profound. This wasn?t what she had agreed to, she stated.

The realisation that her reproductive future had been altered without her consent shook her to the core.

She described the weight of the discovery, her voice heavy with pain and disbelief. She said, ?We wanted another child, a male. We have two girls already. The fibroid was the only obstacle to me conceiving naturally.?

Determined to find answers, Suzan and her husband took the matter to their HMO, seeking clarity on how such a grave error could have occurred.

Our correspondent, who saw the email thread, saw that the HMO approved a fibroid removal surgery and not a hysterectomy.

In one of the emails, which our correspondent obtained, the officer in charge of the HMO told the doctor to produce the signed papers, but the document tendered showed no evidence that the couple requested for removal of the womb.

Ayelaje in the email thread stressed that the couple requested a hysterectomy, a statement Suzan categorically denied.

She said, ?I never suggested or agreed to such a procedure.?

Realising that their pleas were being ignored, the family reported the case to the local police station in Owutu, Ikorodu.

Our correspondent, who spoke to the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case, Adekunle Alasopupo, confirmed that the matter was reported. The policeman, however, asked this reporter to visit the station with Suzan to ?confirm? the case.

He also claimed to have transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos; a claim which our reporter cannot validate as of the time of filing this report.

Suzan said she reported the case to the Owutu Police Station on May 18 and investigations began.

A police officer who works at the Owutu Police Station but did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter confirmed Suzan?s claims.

The officer also noted that the matter was transferred to theSCID Panti, Lagos.

Our correspondent reached out to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, to validate this assertion. The PPRO promised to reach out to the Divisional Police Officer of the station to find out the status of the case. He had yet to do that as of the time of filing this report. Multiple follow-up messages and calls were sent on Friday before press time, but they were not responded to as well.

In a WhatsApp conversation with Suzan on June 14, of which a screenshot was obtained by our correspondent, Ayelaje stated that he was doing the family a favour which they would be grateful for.

He allegedly wrote, ?Good morning, Suzan. Perhaps the challenge is miscommunication. Yes, preparation is good anyway, and the procedure benefits you more than an ordinary fibroid removal.

?I thought you fully understood me during the consultation and explanation. I am sorry for the gap in communication. Before God and man, at age 44, having completed your family, it is the best procedure for you.

?In the next 10, 20, or 30 years, you will appreciate what I did. Then, you will be praying for me in your heart. If you had been at the Cancer Centre, where patients come in different forms, you would be praising God for me.

?Suzan, all we did was to help you. Now, you are free from bleeding. Your health is perfect and free from pain, bleeding, and the risk of cervical cancer. Twenty to thirty years from now, that is when you will truly appreciate what I did for you. It was to help you have a better life. Now, the truth is miscommunication.?

However, the doctor?s explanations did little to soothe the pain of what the woman had lost.

She lamented that the consequence of his actions was a life-altering blow, not a medical favour.

In another WhatsApp conversation between Dr Ayelaje and Suzan, the doctor allegedly wrote, ?After the procedure, you were under the effects of anaesthesia. I did not know you were not shown (the tissue removed from you). And when I came for review, you did not ask me. I attend a lot of cases.?

Suzan allegedly noted, ?I asked you (for the removed tissue) but you told me they (nurses) would show it to me. They never did.?

In his response, he allegedly stated, ?No problem. We started as friends. Please, let?s leave in peace. Sorry about that. God controls the affairs of men. Please, help me plead with your husband, biko (please). I did not meant (sic) to hut (sic) you in any form.?

Silence and stonewalling

As word of the incident spread, the Nigerian Medical Association stepped in to facilitate a resolution. Suzan said the chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the NMA, Dr Saheed Babajide, was brought in to mediate.

She claimed that he assured the family that justice would be pursued, requesting a list of their demands.

The Okeafors submitted three demands ? a written and truthful report of the surgery; an undertaking that the doctor would take responsibility for any health complications arising from the unauthorised hysterectomy; and compensation of N35m for damages.

But instead of swift action, they were met with stalling, the family said.

The NMA?s initial promise of assistance turned into pleas for leniency toward Ayelaje.

?The NMA stopped us from taking further actions against the doctor but has done nothing to meet any of our demands,? Suzan said.

In a rather shocking twist, strangers began to arrive at her husband?s workplace, pleading on behalf of the doctor, whom they claimed was devastated by the prospect of disciplinary action.

The family said they felt increasingly isolated, as though the system meant to protect them was instead mo

bilising to shield the doctor.

?The NMA doesn?t want him to lose his license; they don?t want his office sealed,? Suzan said.

Mental, emotional toll

lawyer was handling the matter and seeking an amicable settlement, a claim Suzan dismissed.

He wrote, ?Good morning, Sir. I wasn?t involved directly. NMA Lagos State is involved in the case in order to settle the issue amicably between Mrs Susan and Dr Joseph.

?Meetings were held which involved the lawyer of Mrs Susan and NMA Lagos State lawyer. The lawyer of Susan and the lawyer of NMA Lagos State are handling it as at now to resolve the issue amicably.

?Dr Saheed Babajide Kehinde, Chairman NMA Lagos State.

?You can call me for more information. You should also discuss with the 2 lawyers and the 2 parties involved for balanced information. Thanks, Sir.?

Susan, responding to Babajide?s claim of amicable resolution, noted that the association had not reached out to her since September, which led her to approach the press for help.

Lady lying, she gave express approval ? NMA lawyer

The counsel to the NMA Lagos chapter, Mr Bayo Omotubora, speaking to our correspondent in a phone call on Thursday afternoon, said, ?It is true I am the solicitor to the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State branch.

?The doctor in question, Dr Joseph Ayelaje, is a member of that association. So, whenever there is an issue that has to do with law and police, such matters are referred to my office for advisory services.

?The NMA referred the matter, and the doctor also came to my office to let me know what transpired between him and his patient, Madam Suzan Okeafor. The woman had a fibroid and it was causing ceaseless blood flow, and there were times she wouldn?t be able to go out. She?d be bleeding continuously for some days.

?She went to Dr Ayelaje to seek medical advice, and the doctor advised her of two medical options. The first option was the complete removal of the fibroid, and the womb would be closed back, but there was a possibility of recurrence and cervical cancer developing thereafter.

from a hysterectomy. The HMO confirmed that it did not sanction a womb removal and was unaware of the procedure.

Saturday PUNCH also confirmed in the email thread among George, Suzan?s husband, and the HMO, there was no mention of approval for a hysterectomy.

Our correspondent also obtained another set of voice recordings in which Ayelaje?s lawyer, purportedly speaking to a relative of the Okeafors, stated that he was disappointed in Ayelaje?s conduct in the matter.

He said, ?We are still pleading with you people concerning the doctor (Ayelaje). I spoke to him yesterday. This is because if someone comes to you for a fibroid operation, the basis upon which they approach your office is for fibroid removal. For whatever reason, even if you are going to operate on the womb, it must be with the patient?s consent and a concurrent agreement with both the husband and the wife.

?If he claims to have discussed it with the wife, he should also have discussed it with the husband. It is a very unfortunate situation. I asked him, how can you go to the extent of removing someone?s womb without consulting both the wife and her husband

?He told me that he did not discuss it with the wife in all fairness. That was the lady?s pain. That was why she was crying like that. The doctor was lying to her face. Since he alleged that the wife gave consent, now her marriage is shaking. That was the lady?s pain. He kept saying that she already had two children and she should manage it like that.?

?It was a miscommunication?

Ayelaje, in a phone call to one of the Okeafor?s family members, allegedly admitted to having carried out the procedure without express approval.

He said, ?Help me pacify her. I have been calling the husband, but he is not responding. If the mistake had come from me, we wouldn?t be having this problem. If I had discussed it with him, we wouldn?t have had all these problems. This thing would not have happened. It was an oversight.

?She will benefit from it. All I did was for her benefit. She is no longer menstruating. She will be strong. The only challenge that she would have is the additional children that she said she wants.

?She will no longer carry any unnecessary burden in her body. She will not have any problem. That was why we advised that. It is just to help them. That part is taken away, so no disease would kill her. But we still should have let them know. It is for her own good. I should have carried her along.

?The husband and I are birthday mates. There is a way God does His thing to connect people, but it is not supposed to be in this kind of case. I really appreciate your calmness. I appreciate your maturity and the way you handled the whole matter.?

Furthermore, she noted that criminal charges can be pursued if the patient?s bodily autonomy is violated

?In Nigeria, informed consent from the patient herself is legally required for any surgical procedure, including hysterectomy. This is in line with the National Health Act and the Code of Medical Ethics, which prioritise the autonomy and informed consent of the patient undergoing the procedure. (SATURDAY PUNCH)

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