Organ harvesting: Jos woman recounts how ‘Dr Kekere’ removed her kidney

Mrs Kehinde Kamal, a 45-year-old mother of four, from the Rikkos community of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, could not have believed that the result of her medical evaluation after a complaint about abdominal pain to a doctor in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), could be way worse than what was expected. […]

Mrs Kehinde Kamal, a 45-year-old mother of four, from the Rikkos community of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, could not have believed that the result of her medical evaluation after a complaint about abdominal pain to a doctor in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), could be way worse than what was expected.

Mrs Kamal was reported to have lost her right kidney during an operation that had nothing to do with the organ.

On Wednesday, the husband of Kehinde Busari Kamal reported Noah Kekere of Murna Clinic and Maternity located at Yanshanu Community of Jos North to the Nasarawa Gwong Police Division, accusing him of removing his wife’s kidney during an operation in 2018.

According to residents of Jos, the accused doctor popularly known as ‘Yellow’ had been in the community for more than 25 years, operating as a doctor, adding that hundreds of patients used to troop to the hospital for medical attention because he charged less compared to other medical centres, and that he could perform an operation on credit.

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The husband said the doctor had originally told them an appendix was discovered on Kehinde which needed urgent operation, alleging that unknown to them, the doctor removed Kehinde’s right kidney during the operation.

Efforts to get the reaction of the accused doctor who is currently in police custody were unsuccessful but the spokesperson of the state police command said they were investigating the matter.

Curiously, while in police custody, Kekere started exhibiting funny behaviours of mad people and he was rushed to JUTH.

However, even when the outcome of the evaluation of Kehinde’s status was revealed to her that one of her kidneys was removed, she at first found it difficult to understand what “kidney” meant because the word sounded strange to her.

“When my abdomen kept paining me, I approached JUTH for further examination of my health status so as to understand what the cause really was.

“On getting to JUTH, a doctor after hearing my complaint, thoroughly examined my stomach and asked me to go for scanning. After the scanning and the results were out, the doctor asked me which kind of operation I underwent that my stomach was cut to that magnitude.

“I told him it was an appendix. The doctor further asked where the first operation was carried out and I told him it was at Murna Clinic. He then disclosed to me that one of my kidneys was removed,” the victim said. “Kidney! I asked. I didn’t know what kidney meant but I quickly called my husband to inform him that the result of the evaluation at JUTH indicated that my kidney was removed.”

Mrs Kamal said before she approached the teaching hospital, sometime in January 2018, she was feeling pain in her stomach and she went to Murna Clinic and Maternity seeking medical attention. There Dr. Noah Kekere, who was alleged to have removed her right kidney, told her that an appendix was discovered on her and she needed to be operated on urgently, adding that if it was not handled quickly, it could cause her death.

“He charged us N80,000 which we paid and thereafter, he carried out the surgery. I spent six days in the hospital. After six months, the side of the operation started causing me pain. My husband said I should go back to Dr. Kekere to lay my complaint which I did. He prescribed some medicines for me. After taking the medicine the pain was eased for some time. But not long after, the same pain started again.

“I continued to report to him about the pain at regular intervals. Whenever I complained, he would either give me some tablets or injections, but a few days after, the pain would return.

“When I kept complaining, he told me I needed another surgery as another disease was discovered in my stomach and would cause me N60,000,” the victim said. “But I thought what if the second operation was carried out and it was also not successful? I was scared because the first operation was yet to be healed and the Dr was suggesting another one. I then decided to go to JUTH for further consultation,” she added.

Kehinde said when the result of the scanning issued by JUTH showed that her kidney was removed, and it was shown to him, Dr Kekere denied anything to do with it and the police ordered that another scan be conducted at Fertile Ground Hospital in Jos South where the result also showed that a kidney was removed.

Explaining her illness, Mrs Kamal said: “I was never in my lifetime admitted in a hospital or underwent surgery until 2018 when I was first operated on by Dr Kekere. I gave birth to all my four children in JUTH and never had any record of surgery.”

Asked what she wants, she said: “I want Dr Kekere to pay the price of what he has committed. I will never forgive him. Let the law takes its course.”

I have been having sleepless nights over the matter – Husband

Explaining how he felt about the incident, Kehinde’s husband said he has been having sleepless nights since the discovery of the missing kidney because he couldn’t imagine how the doctor, whom they trusted, could go to the extent of removing his wife’s kidney without his knowledge.

“I have been having sleepless nights and unable to eat because of what has happened to my wife. I am completely confused. This woman has been suffering for the past five years. Whenever the stomach pain started, especially at night, both of us would not sleep.

“Dr Kekere confessed before the commissioner of police during interrogation that the deed had been done and they should have mercy on him. And it was from there that the police discovered that he was not a medical expert. He was then detained by the police. My prayer is that I want the relevant authorities to do justice to my wife.

Our records don’t show Kekere is a medical doctor – NMA

Soon after the discovery of the missing kidney, alleged to have been removed by Dr Kekere, the Plateau State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), began an investigation as to whether or not the embattled doctor was actually a member of the association.

Speaking on whether Dr Kekere was a medical doctor, Dr Bapigaan William Audu, the NMA chairman in the state, said, “Our records do not show that the person accused is a medical doctor. What we have at our secretariat and the investigation we have carried out, he is actually not a doctor and therefore not our member.

“For now, we cannot say the allegation was true because the police are doing their investigation. But all we know is he is not a medical doctor from our records. We are going to come out with an informed decision on the matter. We are looking at different aspects of the matter as well as different facts available at the moment. So, I think things will be clearer by Monday or Tuesday.”