The lack of functional emergency response systems

 

Ibadan: A Life Lost to a Broken Emergency System 

The family of Mrs. Ajayi Omowunmi Fajuyigbe, a respected school headmistress, is grieving—and asking hard questions—after her tragic death in Ibadan.

Mrs. Fajuyigbe, Headmistress of NAOWA Model Nursery and Primary School, Letmuck Barracks, Mokola, reportedly died after being rejected by multiple hospitals across Ibadan on the night of Monday, January 13.

According to her sister, Mrs. Olawore Opeyemi, she was moved in an ambulance from a military hospital to several public and private hospitals in areas including Mokola, Odogbo, Adeoyo, Oluyoro, Basorun, and others—only to be turned away repeatedly.

It was not until around 1:00 a.m. that a private hospital in Idi-Ape finally admitted her, allegedly after a large sum of money was paid. Sadly, the urgent surgery she needed was never carried out. She later went into a coma and died.

“Hospitals seem more interested in money than saving lives. She was brought in alive and died just hours later,” her sister lamented.

This heartbreaking incident has once again sparked public outrage over:

👨‍⚕️ The shortage of medical personnel

🌍 The continued brain drain in Nigeria’s health sector

“How can emergency patients be turned away at night?” Olawore asked.

“This is Ibadan—a so-called pacesetter city. My sister’s life could have been saved.”

She is calling on government authorities to urgently fix the gaps in emergency healthcare and address the worsening manpower crisis.

One death is too many. 

Silence only allows preventable tragedies to continue.