…Plans to conduct DNA test
Sodiq Ojuroungbe
The management of the Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, has denied allegations of swapping a newborn baby with a dead infant.
The hospital revealed plans to conduct a Deoxyribonucleic Acid test also known as genetic testing to confirm that the dead baby truly given to the family was their biological child.
The hospital’s denial comes on the heels of a viral social media post accusing the facility of swapping a newborn baby with another deceased baby.
The allegation, which has been trending on Nigerian social media platforms, especially X, was made by a woman identified as Aggie_lawlaah.
According to her post, her sister gave birth to a baby boy on December 3 at the Gbagada General Hospital after being induced two days earlier.
She, however, said the newborn struggled to breathe and was immediately admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for proper care.
The woman added that on December 5, hospital staff informed the family that their baby had passed away.
She said the family was subsequently invited to the hospital’s morgue to identify and collect the body of their deceased baby.
Speaking further, the woman claimed that on closer inspection of the body, the family noticed a name tag reading “Adefisan baby,” which contradicted their own baby’s name, Okolie.
The discrepancy in the name tag has raised serious concerns and led to allegations of a baby swap.
The family is demanding answers and calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.
Reacting to the allegation, the management of the Gbagada General Hospital denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise on Saturday, the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Olusegun Babafemi, described the allegations as untrue and assured the public that the hospital was committed to providing quality healthcare services to its patients.
To resolve the controversy and provide closure to the troubled family, Babafemi said the hospital would conduct a DNA test to ascertain the true identity of the baby.
He explained that the DNA test would help to determine whether the baby handed over to the family was indeed their biological child.
He said, “The dad is aware of it. When the baby eventually passed on Thursday morning, the dad was called to identify the baby, it was actually after the identification that they moved the baby to the morgue.
“However, in the morgue, what happened was that the paper that went with the baby got the right name, but someone somewhere just put the wrong plaster on the baby. But the daddy knows that the deceased is his baby.
“I don’t want to say much because we will do a DNA test. The hospital has ordered DNA from a reputable centre. The result will be out; there was no swapping.
“It is the most costly DNA centre that the family chooses, we said no problem. We have told them Gbagada will do it because we need to clarify things. So, we have sent for a DNA test.”
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