Doctor Bags One-Year Jail Term For Professional Misconduct

In 2018, the parents of Somtochukwu Ezi-Ashi, a 16-year-old boy who was a high school student in the USA at the time, filed a criminal complaint against Dr. Ferdinand Ejike Orji. During Somto’s Vacation, he injured his left leg while playing basketball. Later, it was found to be a fracture.

He was transported to Excel C Medical Centre in Ikoyi, where Dr. Ejike Orji, the Medical Director, sedated him and had a police officer and a basketball coach who accompanied him to twist his limbs in different directions and apply fiberglass to the leg from the thigh to the toe.Only after placing the cast did the doctor send the patient to Surulere for an x-ray.

The patient began to experience leg pain and tightness as the sedative’s effects began to wear off, and the pain kept him up at night. The mother of the patient asked for the cast to be taken off, but Dr. Orji just made a little square incision on the back of the knee and instructed them to go home, promising her that the discomfort will subside in two days.

The victim’s father then got in touch with two orthopedic experts to get advice. It was discovered that Somtochukwu had acquired compartment syndrome as a result of a blood supply obstruction to the limb.

Compartment syndrome starts to manifest in 4 to 6 hours and becomes permanent in 24 hours. Before the cast was taken off, 72 hours had passed. He had six surgical procedures at a Reddington Hospital in Lagos before being transported to the USA for more procedures. He had Foot Drop but the limb was spared.

In addition to filing a criminal complaint with the Police, the patient’s mother also complained in March 2019 about Dr. Orji to the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Investigation Panel, claiming that the doctor was irresponsible in how she handled her son’s health.

The Panel sent Dr. Ejike Orji to the Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal after finding evidence of his professional misconduct. The Tribunal presented Dr. Ejike Orji with five charges. He was supposed to be charged and tried before the Tribunal in 2021, but three attempts were put on hold due to his absence due to alleged illness.

He was charged in February 2022 on charges of grievous bodily harm, endangering human life twice through careless or negligent behavior, breach of duty by a person doing dangerous acts, and endangering human life twice through careless or negligent behavior.

The court rendered a decision on January 20, 2023, and found Dr. Ferdinand Ejike Orji guilty on four of the six counts. In accordance with the four counts, he received a one-year prison term.

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