Health of boy attacked by dogs worsens

It appears the condition of four-year-old Omonigho Abraham, who was
attacked by two dogs in the Igando area of Lagos State about a month
ago, has worsened in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital,
Ikeja where he is currently receiving treatment.
PUNCH Metrolearnt from his father, Odia, that Omonigho's scalp which
was torn off by the German shepherd dogs during the gruesome attack,
had not healed and had been giving off an offensive odour.
He said this had given the family serious concern.
Odia told our correspondent on Wednesday that attempts to get the
medical report of his condition had also been frustrated by some
medical officers in the hospital.
He said, "My boy still complains of pains in different parts of his
body. Also, when they open the bandage on his head, you will see that
there is no much difference. It's still like the first time the
incident happened.
"In fact, for up to two weeks no consultant or doctor attended to him,
and his head started smelling.
"We have been told he may still have to be admitted for six months or
up to one year, for the doctors to do a skin-grafting surgery on his
open skull. They will cut skin from parts of his body, to cover up the
skull."
He added that he had also continued to foot the bills of the boy,
despite the instruction of the state government to the hospital
management not to collect any money for his expenses.
Our correspondent gathered that a non-governmental organisation had to
raise money for Omonigho's drugs and over N100, 000 had been
purportedly spent in buying drugs, among other expenses.
The report of a fundraising for Omonigho's medical expenses was said
to have angered the management of LASUTH who allegedly accused Odia of
making money off his son's predicament.
The father of three told our correspondent he was called into a
meeting on Tuesday in which the management of the hospital promised to
start implementing the state government's pledge to the Abrahams.
He said, "The Lagos State Government, through its Ministry of Health,
has already played its part by writing a letter to LASUTH that it
would foot all the bills for which we are grateful.
"But when the letter got to them, they did not implement it. I was
still buying the drugs till yesterday (Tuesday) that I was exhausted
and I cried out that I did not have any money to buy drugs again.
"That was when the management of the hospital led by the Chief Medical
Director, apologised and promised to start implementing the state
government's order.
"I have decided to wait for at least a week and see if they will
change, like they promised."
Odia said the Delta State Government and a few other people were
interested in the medical report which had not been issued to him.
"The real issue I have now is that they (LASUTH) have not released the
medical report which I asked for since October 16. They (LASUTH) have
been directing me from one person to another and I am getting tired.
If I see the report, I will know what exactly to do about this issue."
Attempts to get the reaction of the management of LASUTH proved
abortive as its Public Relations Officer, Dele Johnson, neither picked
his call nor responded to a text message sent to his phone.