‘I Almost Died’ – Toyin Lawani Recounts Life-Threatening Experience At Euracare Hospital

Toyin Lawani has joined Chimamanda Adichie in calling outEuracare Hospital, Lagos, over allegations of negligence. Lawani’s accusations come just hours after Adichie servedthe hospital a legal notice, alleging their “medical negligence andprofessional impropriety” led to the death of her 21-month-old son. In an Instagram post, Lawani recounted severe medicalnegligence that left her with long-term, life-altering health complications. The celebrity fashion entrepreneur said her medical ordealbegan with a spine surgery implant at the private facility. She claimed the procedure resulted in catastrophiccomplications, leading to multiple emergency surgeries, a collapsed lung,damaged vocal cords, and a period where she lost the use of her legs. “Every time I say that if you have health issues in Nigeriaand you make it out alive, just thank your stars, people feel the comment is toberate Nigerian hospitals,” she wrote. “I saw one foolish person saying trash about me last week,all because I was speaking from experience. I just ignored it. You spend closeto ₦100 million on hospital bills and they still mismanage your health. “They thought I was joking when I said I was going to sue,but I said they should just wait until I am stronger. Most of these hospitalsjust put on a front with white staff, and the aftercare is terrible. I am stillsuffering the consequences of Euracare right now. One issue takes you there,and another issue sends you home. “I kept asking myself why I did my spine surgery implant inNigeria. Till today, I still cannot speak well or walk well. I hadcomplications and started bleeding in my lungs. I had to be taken back into thetheatre the next day to be re-operated on.” According to Lawani, her post-operative care spiralled intoa crisis. She described a night when her heart “seized” after being giveninjections, requiring urgent intervention. She said that despite undergoing three back-to-backsurgeries at Euracare, her condition deteriorated, with severe lung infectionsand breathing difficulties. The situation became so dire that she was airlifted to theUnited Kingdom for emergency care. UK doctors, she said, discovered a significant lunginfection and performed another surgery immediately. “Before I knew it, I stopped breathing. They had to puncturemy lungs, and they damaged my vocal cords,” she said. “I remember a night when I was given two injections and myheart seized. I could not breathe. @Prettydammy2 and @Segun_Wealth witnessedit; her husband had to threaten them. The trauma I faced in that hospital formonths is something I still cannot get over till date. I am still in and out ofthe hospital till now because of this. “They do not even care if there is mismanagement; you willstill pay. I lost the use of my two legs after I was sent home and ended upback in that hospital again. I had to call the ENT doctor in the UK. He thentold them to operate for the third time to remove the tracheotomy tube from mylungs and see if I could breathe on my own without it. “After that surgery, I was on the next flight to the UK withmy family the following day. When I got here. The doctors told me I had toundergo another surgery again and said I had an infection in my lungs. Whenthey showed me the large lumps they removed afterward, I was in shock. “After three back-to-back surgeries in the same hospital, Istill had to undergo another one when I got to the UK. It is just so shameful.This statement is not said enough: if you have health issues in Nigeria and youhave the money, run.” In another post, Lawani disclosed that she spent two monthsin the hospital and an additional month in a rehabilitation centre after losingthe use of her hands and legs. She said she also developed bedsores and had to relearn howto walk, speak, and take care of herself, noting that she is still undergoingspeech therapy. The entrepreneur said she continues to live with trauma fromthe experience and remains in and out of the hospital for follow-up treatment,adding that Chimamanda’s case triggered her to speak up. She also claimed that she spent over N100 million at thehospital and promised to pursue legal action when she is fully recovered. “Part 2 of what my eyes saw at Euracare. I spent two monthsthere in total and another month in a rehabilitation center because I lost theuse of my hands and legs. I also developed bedsores. I had to relearn how towalk, speak, and bathe myself. I am still undergoing speech therapy till today.When I tell people I am dealing with trauma, they do not understand me at all,”she added. “This traumatic experience completely changed my entirelife—how I see things and even people. I appreciate life more now and tend tolet go of so many things, because your life can change in a second. Nigeria’shealthcare system needs regulation. Anybody from abroad can come with money,open a hospital in Nigeria as a business, and do as they wish. They useinternational standards to lure clients. “I have proof that I came out of surge

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