Sylvester Oromoni: Dowen College’s doctor makes fresh revelation

 

A medical doctor at Dowen College, Dr. Mojisola Bisiriyu, told an Ikeja Corona’s Court that no medical test was conducted on the late student of the school, Sylvester Oromoni before he was taken home on health grounds.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),  Bisiriyu made the disclosure on Tuesday while being cross-examined by counsel to Oromoni Family, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).

Bisiriyu told the court that he had been working with Dowen College for five years.

“No test was conducted on him because, from my assessment, the deceased’s case warranted not taking him to the hospital.

“The school policy states that parents must be informed whenever their children are sick because some parents have specific hospitals they want to take their children to.

“We only refer serious cases to the school hospital, which is Lifeline Children Hospital in Lekki, Lagos, and it is a three-minute drive from the school.

“I did not refer the deceased to the school hospital because his case was not an emergency one,” she said.

Bisiriyu, who said her job was to attend to the medical needs of the students and alert parents if need be, testified that the deceased had pains on his right thigh.

“The deceased came to the sickbay with leg pain. I have my office at the sickbay and I saw the deceased on Nov. 22, 2021, after I had gone for a COVID-19 routine checkup.

“His leg was massaged on my instruction by a nurse. On Nov. 23, 2021, he told me he still had pain on his right thigh.”

She, however, said that when she saw the student being assisted by his guardian into a car to go home, she advised that he should be taken to a hospital.

“However, I did not give them a referral note to another hospital,” she said.

Questioning Bisiriyu further, Falana said, “Dr. Soyemi, a pathologist, said that all the deceased needed was a dose of antibiotics and he would be fine.

“Why didn’t you apply antibiotics on the deceased?”

Responding, Bisiriyu said: “As a medical doctor, you do not go ahead administering antibiotics without a proper checkup.

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“In this instance, there was no temperature, no fever. We are not a hospital and we are not allowed to run tests,” she said.

The doctor said that she was unaware of the allegation that the deceased had a twisted tongue in April 2021 and had to be taken home from the school.

The witness also said that she did not notice any scalding of the student’s lips on Nov. 23, 2021.

The Coroner, Mr. Mikhail Kadiri, adjourned proceedings until Feb. 28 for a continuation of the hearing.