University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, is facing public outrage after an Instagram post by a grieving mother alleged that her five-month-old son, born with a heart defect, died following a sustained medication overdose under the hospital’s care.
In a series of posts with video evidences on her Instagram handle @ms.abim, identified as Princess Adepoju Ambimbola Juliahnah, the mother accused UCH of “gross negligence” after her baby, Folajimi, the surviving twin from birth was allegedly given twice the prescribed dose of Captopril, a heart medication, for 17 consecutive days.
According to her account, the infant’s cardiologist prescribed 2.5 mg daily of Captopril to help manage his condition before surgery. However, she claims that an intern pharmacist dispensed 4 mL daily of a 6.25 mg/5 mL solution, amounting to 5 mg daily, double the intended dose.
“I even questioned him and he said he put the right amount on the drug already,” she wrote.
“No one caught it. No one admitted the error. Until I noticed reduced urination, and then my baby went 12 hours without peeing. He never remained the same since he had his overdose.”
The mother says the overdose led to kidney distress, from which her son never recovered. She described the hospital’s handling of the matter as marked by “silence, no apology, no compassion.”
She alleged that after raising the issue with the Head of the Pharmacy Department, her follow-up messages were ignored until she persisted. The eventual response, she claims, was: “I’ll advise you to let it go. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Let it go?” she wrote. “Let go of the fact that my surviving twin was overdosed under your care? Let go of watching him slip away while you showed no remorse?”
The post, which has since gained traction on social media, accuses UCH of failing in its duty of care and calls for justice for her late son.
Meanwhile, this publication understands that as of press time, UCH has not issued an official public statement addressing the allegations.
The allegations have stirred widespread criticism online, with Nigerians calling for an independent investigation, better oversight of medical interns, and stronger patient safety protocols in teaching hospitals.
