How UCH radiotherapy error took my sight – Ex-bank driver
Real estate agent and former bank driver, Ayoola Idowu, narrates to Ajibade Omape how he lost his sight trying to remove a keloid from his neck after a radiotherapy session at the University College Hospital
Can you share details of your medical condition before undergoing radiotherapy?
My name is Ayoola Idowu. I am from Ekiti State, and I will turn 42 on December 6. I went for a keloid surgery after I developed a keloid in 2008. It started as a tiny aftershave bump, which at the time was harmless until I cut it off with my hands. It then started developing gradually. In 2013, I went to Ado Ekiti for the keloid surgery. Six months after the surgery, the keloid resurfaced again in a bigger way.
So, since then, I left it because I was no longer working and there was no money to do another surgery. I eventually had some money in April 2021, after which I went to do the keloid surgery at the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, Ondo State.
What happened when you got there?
When I got to the medical centre in Owo, I notified the doctors that I had done the keloid surgery before, but it resurfaced. It was then I was told that after I was operated on for keloid, I had to go for radiotherapy in a bid to prevent the keloid from resurfacing.
Was the decision to undergo radiotherapy from your doctor or you?
The decision to undergo radiotherapy was from the doctors who operated my keloid at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, and the reason they gave was that it would prevent the keloid from resurfacing after I notified them of a previous keloid surgery done in 2013.
So, I had the surgery on April 19, 2021. I was supposed to travel down to the University College Hospital, Ibadan on the 20th (the following day) for radiotherapy but I was bleeding from the surgery I had. So, the hospital didn’t release me to travel. I eventually travelled to UCH Ibadan for radiotherapy on April 21, 2021.
Could you walk us through the radiotherapy process?
I went to UCH Ibadan before the surgery to discuss this because I was given a referral letter from the Federal Medical Centre for radiotherapy. We had discussed the date the surgery was to be done because UCH asked me to call them if I wanted to do the surgery so they could arrange and prepare their machine for radiotherapy. After the surgery, I called UCH to notify them of the completion of my surgery, and I was asked to come down for the radiotherapy session. I went to the radiotherapy department immediately after I got to UCH.
How many sessions did you undergo, and what were you told to expect during and after the treatment?
I had three different radiotherapy sessions. All sessions were not carried out on the same day; there was a week gap between them. I wasn’t told to expect anything; all I was told was that the radiotherapy would prevent the keloid from resurfacing. I had the first radiotherapy session on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. I went for the second one the following day, and going there for the third session, I couldn’t see with my right eye.
At what point did you notice a change in your sight?
I started to notice changes two weeks after the first session. I was still on admission at the Federal Medical Centre in Ondo because the keloid was still being treated. The first time I was put into the radiotherapy machine at UCH, my eyes were not covered. However, it’s not something I’m familiar with. So, I had no idea; I only observed that my eyes were supposed to be covered during the second radiotherapy session when the doctors covered my eyes. In the third session, my eyes were covered as well.
What were the symptoms you experienced?
The symptoms came gradually; it was not something that occurred immediately. I had returned from the radiotherapy session at UCH and for the first few days, my right eye became blurry; I could barely see through it. After five days, I couldn’t see through my right eye.
After a few days, I began to experience the same symptoms in my left eye, and after about five days again, I couldn’t see through my left eye anymore. I began to panic and shout because I could remember driving into FMC after the radiotherapy session.
Both eyes are open, but I can’t see through them. One of the workers at UCH who took us to the hotel where we slept told us that the first radiotherapy session I had just undergone was more like a dose and that it wouldn’t start to work immediately but would start working after two weeks. It was within the space of two weeks that I lost the ability to see with my right eye.
Have you had any discussions with your healthcare providers about the potential side effects of radiotherapy?
After complaining at UCH that I couldn’t see with my right eye, what they told me was that I should complain at the hospital where I did the keloid surgery. Upon my arrival at FMC, over seven to 10 doctors came to my aid, stating that the keloid surgery was not the cause of my inability to see. The doctors further said that if truly my eyesight was lost due to the keloid surgery, it should only have affected the side that was operated on.
What job were you doing before you had keloid?
The first job I was doing was driving in a bank. This was from 2008-2013. I did several other jobs after that. After that job, I went for the keloid surgery but could not return to it. I got another job later as a driver for a real estate firm. However, I doubled as an estate agent because I had little knowledge about it. I went for several inspections, and I was able to gather some money for another surgery.
Were you informed about the risk of vision loss?
No, I was not told about such.
How have you been surviving since the vision loss affected your job?
I can’t work, and it has not been easy. I am lucky to have had little savings while working but it was not enough. I had a building I had constructed to the lintel stage, but it was the first property I sold because I had no money, and I needed to buy drugs. I bought medicines as expensive as N300,000 just because I wanted sound health and most of them only lasted 30 days.
I had to sell goods from my wife’s shop, appliances from my home, and even some of my children’s laptops to make ends meet. While it was difficult and heartbreaking to part with those things, I reminded myself how fortunate I was to have them in the first place.
Despite trying several prescribed medications in my desperate attempt to regain my sight, nothing worked. Now, I hold on to hope and trust in God for a solution because I have passed through a lot. My children cannot even attend school because of money.
How did your wife and kids react when they realised you lost your sight?
They felt sad. At the hospital, my wife cried a lot and was very sad. I’m just happy that I’ve been a good husband to my wife and a good father to my children. If not, other women would have deserted me and absconded with the children.
What are the doctors saying concerning your eyes?
I was told that the nerves in my eyes were damaged and that it may take several years to recover if one sticks to the normal procedure and goes for regular appointments, but the situation is not so sure yet.
Has any doctor or medical professional confirmed that the radiotherapy was the direct cause of your vision loss?
About seven doctors confirmed that negligence at my radiotherapy session was the cause of my vision loss. My brother-in-law who is in the UK contacted a doctor from Saudi Arabia who confirmed that negligence in covering my eyes during the radiotherapy session caused me to lose my sight, stressing that it was improper to undergo radiotherapy without covering the eyes. I also spoke to someone in Israel who also confirmed it.
I was so convinced and motivated by the doctors to go to court, but I kept on believing that I would regain my sight. I became distraught that I had to sell my property. It was after that I decided to contact a human rights group.
What steps have you taken to seek compensation or legal action against the hospital or medical practitioners involved in your treatment?
A lawyer advised me to get an eye test. So, I visited the ophthalmologist at UCH, where I underwent several tests that cost me over N200,000. At that time, I had not notified UCH that the negligence from my first radiotherapy session caused me to lose my sight.
The lawyer asked me to demand a medical report after the eye test to see the cause of the loss of sight, but the result did not state that the loss of eyesight was caused by a mistake during a radiotherapy session. After that, a letter was sent to them by the lawyer but there was no response.
Have you taken the matter to court?
No, I haven’t taken the matter to court yet, but as I mentioned earlier, my lawyer sent a letter to the hospital in 2022. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any response. I was advised to get a lawyer in the same state as the hospital to monitor closely. I waited for the hospital to respond but they didn’t. I then contacted a human rights lawyer at Amuwo Odofin to write a petition to the hospital again in June, this year. The hospital acknowledged the petition sent and I was called for a meeting on September 17, this year.
I noted my inability to travel due to lack of money because I had no job and I was sent the sum of N25,000 by the hospital and given another N25,000 to travel back to my destination. However, I was told at the meeting that the money given to me was not an admission that medical negligence at their hospital caused me to lose my sight, but a considerate individual decided to help me.
What happened thereafter?
At the meeting, I was asked several questions but at the end they did not admit their fault. The panel at the gathering was headed by a woman, and with the way she handled the situation, I thought I would get sympathy from them and maybe some treatment or compensation, but there was nothing positive. I was accompanied to the meeting by my wife, brother, and lawyer.
Have you been offered any treatment or rehabilitation to address the vision loss?
I was not offered any treatment by the hospital or medical practitioner involved. I was met with denials at the meeting I had with them as the doctors did not admit to medical negligence on their part.
Do you think there was negligence or a lack of proper care in how your radiotherapy session was handled?
I believe so because I observed that after the first session where my eyes were not covered, my eyes were covered for the second one. So, I trust there was negligence.
What kind of support do you need right now?
As for the hospital, I want my sight back. I need a lot of financial support because my rent has been due for the past two years in the house I’m currently living in, and I’m on the verge of being chased out. There is nothing I can do because the landlord has tried for the past two years. That is my priority now because if not for the unfortunate incident, I should be living in my house right now. But I thank God for life. I would appreciate any help I get from people.
Do you plan to sue the hospital?
Yes, I do. I’m still discussing it with my lawyer.
