IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Doren Hospital in Ajah, Lagos State, where late Big Brother Naija star, Patrick Dakota a.k.a Rico Swavey was rushed to and subsequently died has released a press statement exonerating itself and staff of any complicity.
The statement was released following a viral video of the hospital staff allegedly laughing and talking instead of attending to Swavey.
In the statement released on Friday, Doren Specialist Hospital disclosed that neither their nurses nor staff members on duty were involved in making the video of Swavey, who was seen on a stretcher battling for his life on oxygen.
The hospital, however, fingered the friend of deceased, Miss Ify Helen Eze, and another unnamed ‘Good Samaritan’, who decided to make a video of the accident victim even when a nurse tried to stop them.
“Miss Ify Helen and her partner are the people who videoed and posted on social media for reasons best known to them. Doren Nurses were begging them to help take the patient to the vehicle and stop videoing. At no point in time did a Doren Staff video the patient or laugh.
“One of the nurses spoke in Hausa, persuading them to assist in moving the patient who has already been positioned on our Stair Chair ready to be moved to the vehicle, instead they kept videoing,” the statement read.
According to Doren Specialist Hospital, this was when effort was made to contact his family having been brought in at 1.45am on Tuesday, 11 October, 2022.
Giving more information on the circumstances in which Rico Swavey was brought in by a good Samaritan, Doren disclosed that he was unconscious (glasgow coma scale of 3/15 smelling of alcohol) and the doctor ordered that he be moved to Accident and Surgery unit.
The hospital said he was found to be bleeding from the ear, nose and mouth, and also vomiting copiously.
The management noted that it made urgent need for the patient to be examined by a neurosurgeon and referred to Ever Care Hospital.
“The next day, we contacted Miss Ify Helen Eze on the condition of the patient (at Ever Care Hospital) and she said he was receiving treatment. 72 hours after our referral, we were shocked to hear that the young man had passed on. We really empathize with his family.
“We have discussed with HEFAMMA, looking into the case and the police at Ajiwe-Ajah who have called Miss Ify Helen Eze to confirm if she was the one who put the video on social media.”
The 30-second-long video clip had generated outrage from the public, who demanded that the perpetrator be sanctioned, initially accusing the nurses and caregivers who earlier handled the deceased’s case.
See the statement released below:
Meanwhile, a Facebook user, Ubangha Blessing Ubi, who claimed to be very familiar with the activities leading to Rico Swavey’s admission to the hospital before his death, said: “This patient was brought in by a good Samaritan, on examination they knew it was not something they could handle, he was referred to Eva Care Hospital immediately, at no point did and they even allow him spend a minute on their bed.
“They managed to get numbers from his phone they called, just so a relative can show up, only one girl who said she was a friend showed up. It was at that point the taxi driver who brought him in started making those videos to post on social media so his family members can probably stumble on it and come to his rescue. Which was when the Nurse asked him to stop making videos and assist her. What is her Crime?
“The people supposedly laughing were the security men, not Nurses.”
A Twitter user, @Mazi_Nonye, whose picture also suggests he is a medical professional, added that the taxi did that because they could not reach out to his relatives.
He also claimed that those heard laughing in the viral video were not nurses of the hospital.
He wrote: “Rico was brought into that hospital via a taxi in company of a good Samaritan. The hospital couldn’t manage and made a referral, but not before first response was given; Suctioning done, IV line set and solution dripping, wounds cleaned and all.
“Now, who will assist the nurse….to lift patient for transfer? No one. Instead, the driver took videos for reference to families online, while his phone was searched and of all the contacts, only a female friend showed up. Someone behind (probably the Samaritan and/or the driver) laughs and says….. ‘no be una dey work here’.., and some people come on twitter to say ‘All present are nurses???’
“The audacity!!!!! Even learned folks too??”
“But you don’t see them asking the big question ‘WHERE WAS THE DOCTOR IN A THESE CHARADE????” he added.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that the Lagos State Government had vowed to probe all the medical practitioners behind the 30-second video clip showing the final moments of a former reality TV star at the hospital.
This was made known by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who stated that the government has commenced an investigation on the matter.
He said: “That hospital is not a government hospital; we have started an investigation into the unprofessional conducts of those who appeared in that video.”