The Catholic Archdiocese Secretariat of Liberia concedes here that there was an error at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, which led to the death of Isaiah Benedicto Williams, pleading for pardon, but the family rejected it.
By: Wise Wesseh
Monrovia, Liberia, January 17, 2025 – The Catholic Archdiocese Secretariat of Liberia is devastated by the death of a 21-year-old student, Isaiah Benedicto Williams, who died at St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital in Monrovia as a result of an overdose of drugs and wrongful medical procedure.
Engulfed by saddening guilt and headache amid investigation by the Medical Board into the unfortunate demise of Isaiah, who was a graduate of St. Edward’s Catholic School in Monrovia and a candidate for enrolment at Lay Adventists University, Kigali, Rwanda, the Catholic Archdiocese Secretariat of Monrovia is seeking an appeal to the Bereaved Family for pardon over the situation.
The Williams Family looks set to issue a lawsuit against the authority of the St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital after a preliminary investigation conducted by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council puts the blame squarely on the institution, unveiling the identity of the doctor in charge of proceeding when the incident happened.
Reports revealed that Congolese pediatric surgeon Doctor NGOY-MULUME Thadee was in charge when the student died from medical errors at the hospital.
Student Williams, who was fresh to depart Liberia for study in Rwanda earlier this month, met his accidental death at St. Joseph’s Catholic hospital, where his mother had taken him for surgery to remove a swollen hydroseed he was suffering from.
The late Isaiah Benedicto Williams was admitted to the hospital on January 2, 2024. He died 24 hours later after he was placed in the operation theater to undergo surgery that did not take place.
According to the report, Williams might have died of wrongful injection allegedly administered to him by Doctor Thadee, Chief Pediatric at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital.
Since his demise, the Family alleged wrongful medication and overdose that may have caused his death.
As investigation by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) unfolds, the hospital authority through the Catholic Archdiocese Secretariat of Monrovia, in its first sympathy visit to the Bereaved Family on Thursday, January 16, 2024, rendered an appeal to abandon the legal process and sought pardon, but the Family refused.
The coordinator of the Catholic Health Secretariat, Ms. Yah Wynn-Gausi, on behalf of the Archdiocese, admitted there was a medical error that led to Isaiah’s death while pleading with the Family.
“We have come to see the Family and sympathize with them; let them know we are with them in this difficult time,” Ms. Gausi says.
She continues, “We are deeply sorry that it happened, and we intended to save him and not let a life be lost because there were other hospitals and medical facilities that the family could have taken him to, but she chose us, above all and we ourselves are saddened.”
In her plea, the Coordinator of the Catholic Health Secretariat notes that anesthesia by a nurse might have caused the tragedy.
She explains that the procedure the patient went through was medical assessments rather than surgery while reiterating there was never an operation done.
“We have come to say sorry, but what I want to make clear is that the doctor or surgeon that was to operate on him did not touch him,” she clarifies.
According to her, before a surgeon or doctor performs surgery, perhaps touch any patient in all Catholic medical facilities across the country, there must be an assessment and evaluation.
“There was not a surgery done, and in our facility, before doctors perform a surgery, there must be evaluation, and it is not the doctor, but the surgeon that usually does it, and I must admit he might have died from the anesthesia, and there are three types of anesthesia, and the one that was given, he reacted on it.”
The Family rejects the plea from the Archdiocese, noting that they are waiting on results from the Liberia Medical and Dental Council investigation to pursue justice.
“We know there was a serious procedural error that took place; we know what happened; there is nothing new that somebody will tell us we don’t know. Therefore, we are disappointed, and that was not our expectation”, laments Mohamed Fofana, uncle of the deceased.
“We hear your, but we are still waiting for the report from the Dental Council, and we believe they will do us justice and give us the right that we deserve”, he added.
Also Speaking, Blamah S. Dorleh describes the Catholic Archdiocese’s visit as belated, saying, “We don’t need such visit, because since two weeks, my brother, there was no sympathy and we are now awaiting the Dental Council’s results.” Editing by Jonathan Browne
