Ogun poly denies negligence in pregnant student’s death

The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, on Thursday, disclosed that an HND student of the Leisure and Tourism department, Ajayi Abimbola Adejoke, died as a result of pregnancy-related complications and not because of any negligence from the school’s clinic as it was being circulated.

The Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Mr Sola Abiala, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Some students of the institution had blamed Adejoke’s death on the highhandedness of the staff members of the school clinic who had allegedly insisted that the deceased should produce her clinic card before she could be attended to.

They had alleged that the 15 minutes wasted before this challenge was sorted out further dimmed the chances of Adejoke surviving the incident.

She was later said to have died barely minutes after at the Ore Ofe and Maternity Clinic, Ilaro where she was referred to by the school clinic.

The management of the school has however debunked this report saying the student, according to the attached medical reports obtained from the Director, Medical Services of the institution, said that Miss Ajayi died as a result of pregnancy-related complications.

The school said Ajayi who was reportedly brought to the institution’s clinic was accompanied by her boyfriend and when the clinic found out that it might be unable to give her proper treatment, it referred her to a private hospital outside the institution and was even taken down by the school clinic’s ambulance.

The student later passed on at the private hospital.

The statement partly reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the unfortunate death of one of our students, Miss Ajayi Abimbola Adejoke, an HND student of the Department of Leisure and Tourism, who died as a result of pregnancy-related complications.

“According to the medical report obtained from the Director, Medical Services of the institution, (as attached), the deceased was rushed to the clinic from a practical class complaining of abdominal pains.

“However, the reports going viral on some social media did not present the true picture of the sad and unfortunate incident.

“The deceased was accompanied by her boyfriend to the clinic and he confirmed that the late student was actually pregnant.”

The polytechnic noted that realising that the clinic might not be able to treat the case properly, due to its nature, she was quickly referred to a private hospital in the town and was conveyed to the said hospital in one of the institution’s ambulances, accompanied by a nurse and the boyfriend of the deceased.

“Her parents were promptly contacted, and they reportedly came to Ilaro.

“The Dean, Student Affairs of the institution, Dr. J. O. Omowunmi, confirmed that the parents of the deceased had taken the remains of the deceased back home in the polytechnic’s ambulance.

“In as much as the polytechnic regrets the unfortunate incident and commiserates with the parents, it is pertinent to reiterate that the death of Miss Ajayi was not as a result of negligence by the clinic as being peddled, but as a result of pregnancy-related complications,” the school stated.