The family of a 59-year-old woman, Mrs Adegoke Mosekola Dorcas, has demanded ₦500 million in compensation from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital over her death following an alleged medication error at the hospital.
Dorcas died on January 24, 2024, after undergoing surgery for a right adrenal mass at LASUTH.
In a demand letter dated September 14, 2026, the family’s lawyer, Wale Ogunade of Wale Ogunade Chambers, accused the hospital of gross medical negligence and alleged that Dorcas was wrongly given Vecuronium, a drug that causes muscle paralysis and is normally used during controlled medical procedures.
According to the lawyers, Dorcas had initially suffered a major complication during surgery but later improved and was moved from the Intensive Care Unit to the female surgical ward.
The family alleged that she was conscious, communicating with relatives and had been certified fit for discharge on January 16, 2024.
They claimed that later that evening, a Principal Nursing Officer identified as Ilesanmi Temitope approached Dorcas to administer an injection. When Dorcas’ daughter, Oluwadamilola Awosedo, asked what was being given, the nurse allegedly said it was an antibiotic.
The lawyers said Dorcas immediately complained that she could no longer breathe before suffering respiratory collapse, seizures and cardiac arrest.
She was reportedly rushed back to the ICU, where doctors commenced resuscitation and administered drugs to reverse the effect of Vecuronium. She was subsequently placed on mechanical ventilation.
A post-mortem report issued by LASUTH and signed by Consultant Pathologist Dr D.A. Sanni reportedly listed hypoxic brain injury, cerebral oedema and adverse drug reaction among the causes of death, with bronchopneumonia also recorded.
The report also stated that Dorcas had been mistakenly given Vecuronium by a nurse on duty and was later readmitted to the ICU following the incident.
The family’s lawyers, however, alleged that Dorcas had been recovering before the medication incident and argued that the hospital’s failure to remove an arterial line, despite instructions from doctors, contributed to the circumstances surrounding the administration of the drug.
They further alleged that an internal investigation by LASUTH established that neither Dorcas nor her family had purchased, supplied or possessed the Vecuronium.
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The family said the hospital had refunded ₦759,750 spent on medications, reimbursed ₦550,000 for coffin expenses and provided ₦5 million as burial support.
However, the lawyers said those payments did not settle the family’s legal claims.
They are demanding a formal apology from LASUTH, ₦500 million in compensation and copies of the hospital’s internal investigation reports, panel findings and any petitions submitted to relevant medical regulatory bodies.
The lawyers gave LASUTH 30 days to respond, warning that the family could commence legal proceedings at the Lagos State High Court and petition regulatory authorities over the matter.
The family also maintained that the ₦5 million burial support was accepted only as ex-gratia assistance and did not amount to a waiver of their legal rights.
Responding to the latest demand, LASUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, said the matter had been referred to the hospital’s legal department.
“Our legal department is dealing with it,” Fabamwo said.
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