According to a new report by the Cable ,Professor Dora
Akunyili's death was caused by a misdiagnosis way back
in 1998...So sad...The report reads...
When Mrs Dora Nkem Akunyili was the Zonal
Secretary (South-east) of the Petroleum (Special)
Trust Fund in 1998, Nigerian doctors gave her what
many of her family members considered to be a
health scare. They said she had a growth and needed
surgery. Akunyili, then 44, decided to travel to the
United States, first to get a second opinion and then
undergo the prescribed surgery.
The bill for the medical trip was $17,000, including
$12,000 for the surgery. During pre-surgery check-
up in the US, the doctors told her the Nigerian doctors
had made a wrong diagnosis and that she did not
need any surgery. It was said to be a minor issue that
medication would solve. She thanked the doctors and,
to their surprise, said she was going to return the
money meant for the surgery to PTF.
That was strange. Nigerian government officials had
devised a way of making sure such monies were not
returned to the treasury. The hospital informed the PTF,
under the leadership of Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,
about one honest Nigerian they had found. Buhari, himself
a straightforward person, was very impressed. He wrote a
letter to Akunyili commending her honesty.
NAFDAC
Then came 2001. President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to
appoint a director-general for the National Agency for Drug
and Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and asked
for the recommendation of an honest Nigerian pharmacist.
Akunyili’s name promptly came up. Someone who had
heard about her PTF record recommended her. There was
a little problem, a Nigerian problem. Objections were raised
that the minister of health, Prof. ABC Nwosu, was an Igbo
from Anambra State and NAFDAC, being a powerful agency
under the ministry, should not be headed by another Igbo
from Anambra. It was also argued that the market for fake
and substandard products were controlled by the Igbo, with
Onitsha – also in Anambra State – a major centre for the
illicit business. She was going to protect “her people”, the
antagonists said. Obasanjo, stubborn to the cause, ignored
the observations and appointed her.
She went on to do a credible job and ended up as one of
the most outstanding public officers in Nigeria’s history,
celebrated locally and globally. She had lost a sister to fake
drugs, and that was perhaps the impetus she needed to go
on the offensive. Misdiagnosis Meanwhile, Akunyili always
went abroad for check-ups and she was always given an
all-clear. She continued to look robust and energetic, and
took up another government job as minister of information
and communications. But on July 13, 2013, something
strange happened to her. She was preparing to travel to the
United States to receive an award. The following day was
her birthday. Her 59th, precisely.
Then she fell ill. She was physically weak and having
pains. She decided to go ahead with her trip and attend to
her health in the United States. It was while she was there
that new checks were carried out. Alas, she had cancer.
The original diagnosis in 1998 was right. But the diagnosis
at the point of surgery was wrong. She became seriously ill
and there were fears she could lose her life. She was in the
hospital for months and only returned to Nigeria this year
when the doctors said she was improving. Her last public
appearance was at the National Conference in Abuja, where
she was a delegate. Pictures of a frail-looking Akunyili
soon went viral on the internet. TheCable could not
ascertain the type of cancer, but there are several reports
pinpointing cervical – and some claim it was ovarian.
Globally, cervical cancer is the second most common and
the fifth deadliest cancer in women, according to the World
Health Organisation (WHO). Akunyili died on June 7, 2014
in India after surviving many death rumours.
posted from Bloggeroid
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