Adeleke’s Death: LAUTECH Refutes Family’s Claim on Autopsy Report

By Olabode Abolaji

The management of Lautech Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, has debunked insinuations and reports on claims by the family of Late Senator Isiaka Adeleke that it did not professionally carry out the autopsy done on the body of the first civilian governor of Osun State.

According to the hospital, the autopsy report was ordered by the police and not the family of the deceased as widely circulated.

LAUTECH in a statement in Osogbo which analysed the process of the autopsy said it is convinced that the medical examination was carried out in line with best practices.

The hospital said “On Sunday 23 April, 2017, the fateful day when the corpse of Senator Adeleke was brought to the hospital for autopsy, all necessary facilities, both materials and human were promptly mobilized to carry out a thorough and professional job”.

“ When this unfortunate incident occurred, it was not lost on anyone that this is a great challenge, not just the loss of such a great man, but the political milieu and the renowned attitude of some Nigerian politicians to play politics with even the most sacred things. We therefore made up our minds right from the beginning to do a thorough and professional job that can stand professional and ethical scrutiny anywhere in the world”.

It added that the medical director of BIKET Hospital and the Police were the key actors in the process which prevented its pathologists from releasing the report to the family in the first instance.

“The Police homicide detectives handed the relevant coroner papers (forms B and C) to the hospital’s pathologist, the only authorized professional in charge of Autopsy in the presence of the family members.”

“In line with Global practice and in a case like the above, such reports are NOT given to the family because they could be regarded as potential suspects that should not be allowed to have advance knowledge of findings of the investigations. The full autopsy report was not even made available to the Management of the hospital because the law does not permit the pathologist to do so.”

It described as untrue the claim by the deceased’s sister, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni to have authorized the autopsy report as only a “CERTIFICATE IN HONOUR” of the process expressing her satisfaction with the action was signed by her.

On payments, the management of LAUTECH teaching hospital asserted that “LAUTECH Hospital, like all other hospitals, works round the clock, tests, drugs and procedures can be done and be paid for at any time of the day. Indeed, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo has a fully functional automated payment system that will issue receipts instantly. The truth is that NO PAYMENT WAS MADE by the Adeleke family to the hospital for the autopsy. It is clearly an attempt to smear the hospital to suggest that hospital which runs Children and Adult emergencies could not issue a receipt for payment made on a Sunday.”

The hospital however referred the family to the coroner setup by the state government if it needs the samples, tissues as well as the autopsy done by LAUTECH as all that was done was in reverence to the law while it commiserated with the family, state and nation at large over the death of the sitting senator representing Osun West Senatorial District.