•Hospital promises probe

The Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has promised a probe after a dental operation was abruptly halted on Monday following a sudden power outage, leaving a patient in severe pain and unable to complete her treatment.

The attending dentist, identified simply as Dr. Adedoyin, reportedly stopped the procedure midway after the hospital experienced a blackout, citing the unavailability of electricity and a faulty generator. The affected patient, Opeyemi Taofeekah, told our correspondent via the telephone that she was asked to return on Wednesday when the power supply might have been restored.

According to Taofeekah, the dentist had already made an incision in her gum and was in the process of extracting her tooth when the lights went out, forcing an abrupt end to the operation. She said the doctor explained that the procedure could not continue safely without electricity.

The distressed patient said, “He had already cut my gum and was about to remove the tooth when the light went off. The pain is unbearable.

“The doctor told me to come back on Wednesday because power might not be restored until two days later,” she said, sobbing.

Taofeekah further revealed that after leaving the hospital, she sought help at a private clinic but was turned away due to the condition of her gum and the incomplete surgery.

She added that despite taking pain relief medications, the discomfort and swelling persisted.

Her caregiver, Adegoke Idris, who accompanied her to the FMC, described the incident as both painful and shocking.

He explained that the tooth extraction had been recommended by the doctor because of her age and recurring dental issues.

“The doctor said that because she’s over 25, the tooth needed to be removed. But while the operation was going on, there was a power outage. The doctor said they couldn’t continue because the light might not be restored, and their generator wasn’t working. Now, she’s in pain, moving from one private hospital to another, with her face swollen and the operation incomplete.”

When contacted, a spokesperson for the hospital, Segun Orisajo, said he would forward the contact of the acting Chief Medical Director of the hospital to our correspondent.

When pressed further for the contact details after some time, he said the CMD had asked him to handle the matter, thereby requesting that our correspondent type all that was said verbally earlier.

After this was done, the hospital publicist acknowledged the message and promised to respond the next day.

Asked if he could reach the concerned unit and get back to our correspondent with their side of the story, he said, “It’s somehow complex. It does not lie with that unit alone; the power supply is involved.

“We will find out why the power outage occurred. Any challenge with the backup in case of disruption from the public supply? It wasn’t as if the personnel to attend to her weren’t around. It is not a case of not being attended to. We need to holistically look into the issue.” (The PUNCH, but headline rejigged)