UNICAL dismisses four employees following a student’s death

In response to the passing of a student named Precious Agindi, the University of Calabar has suspended four medical center staff members.

Agindi was a third-year student at the university studying library and information science.

It was reported that Agindi died on January 28 at the institution’s medical centre.

Prof. Florence Obi, the vice chancellor of the institution, gave a press conference on Tuesday after obtaining the autopsy results.

According to her, the staff members’ suspension was due to their lack of “emotional commitment” to the deceased.

The student was rushed to the hospital in a very critical condition, and less than an hour later, she passed away, according to Obi, whose autopsy provided a thorough account of her cause of death.

“For emphasis, let me categorically state that the death of Precious Agindi had nothing to do with the rumoured ruptured appendicitis as her appendix was found at autopsy to be healthy, not inflamed and intact.

“This regrettable incident sparked very strong emotions, students’ demonstrations on that fateful day and a lot of misinformation and outright falsehood peddled by ill-informed and mischievous people, both within and outside the campus,” she said.

She pointed out that the university kept a stiff upper lip and vigorously investigated how the patient was treated at the facility by assembling a panel of inquiry and holding a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death.

“Yesterday, in the presence of the representatives of the family, the Benue and Tiv Community in the university, SUG officials, members of the Panel of Inquiry, and management received the autopsy and the panel of inquiry reports,” she added.

While the doctors and skilled medical consultants on the panel of inquiry, according to Obi, cleared the on-duty nurses of any professional malpractice, they did note some signs of a lack of emotional commitment on their part as medical professionals.

The vice chancellor (VC) stated that the issue of devotion to work at the university was a pillar that the institution gave significant value to in all of its parts, including the medical center.

She added, “Management has, therefore, decided to place all the staff members on duty on a three-month suspension for lack of empathy and psychological support and especially for demanding money for card against the medical centre’s policy of attending to patients in critical condition first.

“The above investigation has revealed that the patient was brought to the medical centre critically ill and her eventual death shortly after arrival was not as a result of professional negligence by staff members of the medical centre.

“Also, there is an established clinical condition as the cause of death which in deferment to the family and in respect to the dead we do not wish to reveal.

“Yet all sorts of lies have been told both online and offline to batter the image of the university and instigate unrest among the students.”