Nigerian says Manipal hospital caused mom’s death

When Tobi Ajisegbede of Lagos, Nigeria, flew his mother to Bengaluru for spinal surgery at Manipal Hospital, he was under the impression that he was getting a good deal.

For $10,000 (Rs 6,98,000), the hospital offered quick and effective results. But what ensued, according to Ajisegbede was five months of prolonged treatment which not only cost him and his family over $20,000 (Rs 13,96,000) but also his mother’s life on April 14, to what he claims was persistent “negligence” by Manipal.

Juliet Mojirayo Ajisegbede, 58, had been complaining of persistent back pain for five years until June 2018, when Ajisegbede, a 23-year-old network engineer, finally took her to Vedic Lifecare, an Indian hospital in Lagos which is affiliated with Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

When Juliet was diagnosed with Lumbar Canal Stenosis, which indicated a reduction of water in the spine, attending doctors administered steroid shots.

When this failed to fix the problem, a Vedic “interface” recommended transferring Juliet to Manipal Hospitals in Bengaluru.

Following extensive tests and scanning, the family was presented with the medical quote of $10,000.

According to Ajisegbede, the family saved up for two months to raise the money, flying into India on December 1, 2018. “To our shock, Manipal subsequently hiked the cost of treatment to $20,000 just before surgery,” he said, describing the move as “unethical, considering that they already knew her condition because all testing had been done by Vedic in Nigeria before issuing the price quote.”

Medical records show that while Manipal staff successfully carried out the surgery on December 4, 2018, the hospital, fearing the risk of infection, discharged the patient four days later. Ajisegbede said that he fiercely contested the decision, allegedly telling hospital staff that it would be dangerous to move his mother so soon after surgery.

A hospital death summary given to Ajisegbede months later would state that the patient had been “discharged as per protocol”.

Unable to return home until his mother had recovered, Ajisegbede rented an apartment in Indiranagar for Rs 8,500 a day and hired a nurse and a physiotherapist. But when Juliet’s condition worsened six days later, Ajisegbede rushed her back to Manipal. What then followed, Ajisegbede said, was a “pattern of extortion” by the hospital. “The charges for the ICU alone cost Rs 1 lakh per day,” he claimed.

Faced with mounting bills, the family said they were forced to sell properties in Nigeria for “ridiculous prices”. When the money from this ran out, the hospital stopped administering medicine, Ajisegbede claimed.

Dr Deepak Venugopal, regional chief operating officer of Manipal Hospitals, rejected this assertion: “The hospital offered the best possible treatment to the patient, fully participating with the family members in the treatment process and understanding the challenges of foreign nationals on Indian soil. The patient’s financial constraints never came in the way of providing all necessary treatment... all possible support was extended to the patient/family without any financial consideration during the second admission.”

On April 14, another infection entered her bloodstream. She died of multiple organ failure. Asked if he could recommend medical care in India, Ajisegbede said, “It’s better to go to China or Korea. Indians are heartless. They are using Africans as lab rats.”