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Family Of Deceased Nigerian Woman Seeks Justice, Closure

“Our family deserves to know why Chinenye died. It’s about justice."

Seven months after a young Nigerian woman died in a hospital in New Delhi, India, the family of the victim has yet to receive autopsy results or any other details explaining the cause of her death.

Since the age of 16, Chinenye had experienced ongoing pain in her leg after a bad fall. In 2015, shortly after graduating from the University of Abuja, Chinenye went to Fortis Hospital in New Delhi to undergo surgery conducted by one Dr. Dhananjay Gupta that would fix her leg and alleviate the pain.

Three days after the surgery, Chinenye began to experience pain in her leg. She returned to the hospital to have a screw in her leg changed. While the screw was being changed by one Dr. Rahul Kaul, she lost consciousness and was declared dead shortly thereafter.

Chinenye’s mother asked that the doctor make an effort to resuscitate her, but her request was ignored.

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On October 11, 2015, an autopsy was conducted on Chinenye without requesting permission from her family. The family has reached out to the hospital several times to receive results of the autopsy to no avail.

After getting in contact with Dr. Gupta, Chinenye’s mother was told that the hospital did not have access to the autopsy report because it is “a police matter.” He added that the Ministry of External Affairs is handling the situation, but he refused to give Chinenye’s mother any details regarding this alleged investigation.

The victim’s family is left wondering what caused the untimely death of their daughter. While Dr. Gupta said the official cause of death was a severe heart attack, the medical superintendent cited breathlessness as the cause of death.

Chinenye’s family and friends have since written letters and staged peaceful protests at the Indian embassies in Lagos and Abuja, but their efforts have thus far been futile.

“Our family deserves to know why Chinenye died. It’s about justice,” her sister said.

“We have heard numerous stories of how Nigerians have been fleeced and treated without regard in their desperate quest to seek good health. Let it end today.”

To contact the family, you can send an email to [email protected]

Topics
Human Rights