The conclusions of the coroner in charge of unravelling the circumstances around the demise of popular singer Mohbad have been made public, and recommendations submitted. The sociocultural and legal issues were clearly delineated, and it is safe to say that Mohbad, a celebrity who was well-to-do in terms of socioeconomic stratification in this country, died because of the systemic failure of society. The findings may have answered important questions and demystified the circumstances of the death. Yet, controversies over this demise will linger. Now, attention will shift from allegations of collusions in the music industry to alleged negligence by the wife in the immediate period of the late singer’s illness. Furthermore, the decomposition of the corpse has made it difficult to yield many medical findings from the autopsy. Although such limitations may be due to the low level of forensic medicine in Nigeria. Regardless, there are lessons and implications on medical ethics that must be delineated from this case.
Medical negligence broadly is any action or inaction that constitutes a deviation from the minimally acceptable standard of care. Medical professionals spend years in training to understand the minimally acceptable standards of care and to implement them. This transcends the diagnosis of diseases or the administration of drugs. It involves such things as appropriate referral, maintaining confidentiality and every other seemingly grey but crucial aspect of the principles of medical ethics. The coroner in this case was not wrong to describe the behaviour of the medical professional as medical negligence because the practitioner in question deviated from the standard of care. The deviation is thus: one, that this professional administered medication without a prescription from a physician. And two, she was not qualified to have administered the medication at all.
In a country where lawlessness is the norm, such conclusions as above appear ridiculous. That is why, instead of calling for an ambulance or rushing the late musician to the hospital ab initio, the wife resorted to calling in a ‘nurse’. The citizenry of the country is not aware of how many systems work, including the health system. It is why they do not seek help from appropriate quarters. Unlike in other countries, where sound educational systems are not designed towards rote learning of numbers and letters, but rather equipping students for a quality life in society.
The ignorance of the public may be forgiven, but not that of a professional. She should have known that a doctor’s prescription was required before the administration of any drug. Unfortunately, medical professionals are ignorantly involved in unnecessary squabbles for supremacy instead of understanding their designated roles in patient care. There is no proof that the administered drug killed Mohbad. But the coroner’s verdict implies that nonconformity with the acceptable standard of care has consequences for the outcome of patients. Medical professionals must understand the scope of their training, and they must practice within those limits. Not only for litigation, but to guarantee a standard of care.
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