The incident that led to the death of a 21-year-old patient, Isaiah Benedicto Williams, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia could have been avoided if the doctor and staff had taken dedicated care on duty.
The unfortunate situation unveils the level of sheer recklessness by health authorities and health institutions across the country, resulting in countless deaths that usually go unchallenged.
But the family of the late promising Isaiah Benedicto Williams stood their ground in demanding the cause of death, especially so when there was no surgery performed on the patient for which the hospital had scheduled him to remove a hydrocele.
The family complained to the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) for wrongful medication and overdose that might have caused the death of their son, who was a candidate for enrolment at Lay Adventists University in Kigali, Rwanda,
Though the Catholic Archdiocese Secretariat of Liberia, coordinated by Ms. Yah Wynn-Gaus, subsequently met with the bereaved family and regretted the incident, findings released by LMDC uncovered the depth of recklessness by administrators at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital.
The final verdict was released on Friday, January 17, 2025, by Chairperson of the Liberia Medical and Dental Council, Pediatric Doctor Benetta Collins Andrew, who found the hospital liable due to a lack of standard operation procedures.
According to Doctor Andrew, there was a serious medical error by the hospital, revealing that Patient Isaiah Benedicto Williams died as a result of a malfunctioning anesthesia machine.
According to her, the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital did not have a properly functioning Anaesthesia Machine to perform a standard surgery.
“We also want to hold the hospital liable because even the doctor who was in charge of the operation, Dr. Thadee’s license has expired, and as a doctor, you do not practice Medicines for even a second without an active license”, Doctor Andrew explains.
The LMDC reveals that complications arose after the late Isaiah received anesthesia administered by a nurse anesthetist, resulting in a severe reaction that ultimately led to his death.
Accordingly, the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital has been found liable and fined US$30,000 for damages in the wrongful death of 21-year-old Isaiah Benedicto Williams.
We can vividly recall similar incident when the Management of John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFK) in Monrovia was found liable and ordered to pay US$1 million lawsuit as general damages and US$3.1m special damages for a wrongful surgical operation performed on one of its patients identified as Karen Gaydou Sehkehporh of Paynesville City. The trial was held in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, but JFK Management pleaded not guilty and challenged the verdict that it argued was based on sentiments.
These lapses and more that go unreported should claim the attention of health practitioners and administrators on the need to exercise utmost due diligence and care in handling cases to curtail avoidable deaths in our health institutions, inflicting pain on families and loved ones.
