Kogi quintuplets: One child dies, as doctor seeks to relocate family

One of the quintuplets delivered at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja (FMC) on April 17 is dead, the hospital management has said. This is as Dr Taiwo Jones, Head Clinical Services, Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, seeks to relocate the family from their present abode to a more conducive part of the state capital. Dr Jones […]

One of the quintuplets delivered at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja (FMC) on April 17 is dead, the hospital management has said.

This is as Dr Taiwo Jones, Head Clinical Services, Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, seeks to relocate the family from their present abode to a more conducive part of the state capital.

Dr Jones told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lokoja that the baby, who had been in incubator, died in the early hours of Monday, April 22.

NAN reports that the baby, a male was the first to be delivered through Caesarean Section and weighed 1.3 kg at birth, a development which made the the hospital to put him in an incubator.

The quintuplets, three boys and two girls, were delivered by Mrs Uchenna Okeigbo, 42, an indigene of Olokoro Amangbo Community, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia.

Mrs Okeigbo had waited for 18 years after marriage before giving birth to the quintuplets.

Jones said the hospital did all it could to ensure that the baby stayed alive, but all to no avail.

”At delivery, four out of the five babies were found to be fit and okay, but the fifth baby that weighed 1.3kg was unstable and unfit because of infections. As such, he was isolated and kept in incubator.

”The baby was initially presumed sepsis based on elevated C-reactive protein.

”Unfortunately, the condition of the baby deteriorated and we eventually lost the baby on Monday at about 5 a.m.

”The other four babies are in stable conditions.

”We will ensure that all the remaining four babies and their mother are fit and stable before they are discharged,” Jones said.

The doctor, however, said that the management of the hospital was considering the possibility of relocating the couple to Lokoja city centre.

“Where the couple are staying at Obajana is full of dust, which may hampered the respiratory system of the babies, which we think may not be too good for them.

”We have suggested it to the wife of the governor, Mrs Rashidat Bello, who visited them on Monday; if it is possible for the government to assist them.

”Relocating to Lokoja, where it is more safer for them to access the hospital for proper monitoring, after they had been discharged,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Rashidat Bello, had donated N300,000 baby wears and other items to the babies and their mother.

Mrs Rashidat Bello made the donations when she led other top government officials on a visit to Mrs Okeigbo and her babies at the hospital on Monday.

Also, Okeigbo told NAN at the hospital on Tuesday that another wife of the governor, Mrs Amina Bello, also sent N200,000 to her and the babies.

She added that Mr Matthew Kolawole, Speaker Kogi House of Assembly, also visited them on April 20 and gave them N100, 000.

”The Kogi State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Bolanle Amupitan, also gave us N25, 000, while the Secretary to Kogi State Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade, donated baby items to us,” Okeigbo said.

She expressed her gratitude to the governor’s wives, top government officials and individuals that brought succour to her family.

”We are very glad and grateful to them for their timely interventions,” she said. (NAN)