Following social media reports that late Christabel Miriam Gabriel died during a hip surgery in Lagos, the management of the Cynosure Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Clinics where the surgery was carried out has refuted the claims, appealing to the family and all interested parties for calm and to await the result of the ongoing investigation by the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, and the Police.
The social media platforms have been agog with the purported death of a Port Harcourt Socialite, Christabel Miriam Gabriel during a hip surgery in Lagos. While friends of the deceased claimed that she died out of medical negligence, the hospital management said the patient died four days after the surgery.
Giving his own account to journalists in Lagos, a Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Dr Ogbe Joehness Omoruyi who conducted the surgery said: “Let me once again express my heartfelt and deepest condolences to the elderly parents, the siblings, relatives, friends, and well-wishers of our late client. It is on a very sad note that I comment on the demise of our dear client which occurred on 31 May 2022.
“While I will ensure that I do not reveal details of the medical information and history of our client, it has equally become necessary I respond to certain unfounded insinuations, misinformation, and accusations going around, following her passing.
“It is unfortunate that while the family of the deceased is grieving, some persons are going about pointing accusations at me and raising doubts on my professional qualifications with regards to the handling of my client now deceased.
“While I call for calm from all interested parties, I will say the surgery was successful because that same day she was able to eat. And then she was able to ambulate, moving around. The following day, she was able to go to the bathroom and toilet herself unaided.
“We have CCTV footage of her moving around within the facility and actually I could let you have access to that. On the second day she was already ambulating, moving freely without support up till the last day when her friend visited.”
Omoruyi who said he has been practicing in Nigeria for five years and has done over 120 surgeries this year alone, disclosed that he has submitted himself to the Police, the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) as well as to the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Services (LSBTS) for investigations as a law-abiding citizen who is the doctor accused of the death of the client four days after her procedure.
He said representatives from the various agencies have visited the facility for a thorough information gathering.
He said: “As a law-abiding and patriotic citizen of this great country, Nigeria, I am also following through to exhaust all legal and professional investigation processes on this unfortunate incident.
“I enjoin the family of the deceased, my family and friends, as well as my professional colleagues to be patient while these investigations are being conducted. I am sure that in the end, I will be exonerated of all accusations in the matter.
“No doubt the police investigations which have since commenced are already revealing the truth and the true fact of the matter as there is enough evidence, including CCTV footage and the statement of the only friend who visited my client while on admission.
Insisting that medicine is science and not sensationalism, the Consultant Plastic Surgeon said: “I will not want to comment further on this at this time. I trust that the Police and my professional colleagues would do a thorough job and would be discrete in their investigations which include an autopsy and toxicology of all relevant samples.
“I am sure at the end, the good Lord would vindicate me and the real cause of death of my beloved deceased patient would be clearly established,” he stated.
