UCH writes family of late Richard Gbadebo over role in autopsy

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The management of University College of Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Oyo State, has written to the family of late Richard Gbadebo, a 300 level student of Department of European Studies, University of Ibadan, UI, who died last month at a factory in Ibadan.

The letter was to explain the College’s role in the autopsy report that the family is not comfortable with.

Recall that the family, in a petition dated August 7, had expressed reservations in the postmortem report dated August 4 and signed by Dr. C. A. Okolo, Consultant and Pathologist of UCH.

However, in a reply dated August 24, with reference number HG/CON.851, by Niyi Ajayi, Director of Administration, on behalf of CMD, to the deceased family through its lawyer, Abope Chambers, headed by Femi Aborishade, among others, said the late Richard’s “body was stored and embalmed at Teju Specialist Hospital and not Adeoyo Hospital, as we earlier stated and that the report have been updated to reflect same.

“The Pathology Department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, did not have anything to do with the embalmment of the body, as it had been done before we received the body for autopsy.

“Our discussions were with the Police only and there was no discussion whatsoever between us and the company at any point in time.

“The clinical summary, as was stated, is not a component of our autopsy finding. The provisional report was written and handed over to the Police to enable them carry out further investigations.

“The autopsy is a forensic death investigation and we are obliged to forward our final autopsy report when it is ready only to the police and this can be obtained from them subsequently.

“We do not have any further interest in the case beyond the police-mandated forensic death investigation.

“I hope all the above-mentioned points has been able to convince you that the Hospital, in fact, exercised due diligence in carrying out the autopsy as requested by the Police,” UCH added.