Chimamanda’s Son’s Death: Pharmacists Raise Alarm Over Propofol Use.

The Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria, AHAPN, has raised fresh concerns over the death of Nkanu, the young son of renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, describing the incident as “a grave patient-safety failure” that requires urgent national scrutiny.

In a statement issued on Friday, the National Chairman of AHAPN, Pharm. Elechi Oyim said details emerging from the case suggest “a serious deviation from internationally accepted standards of paediatric anaesthesia and medication safety.”

According to him, reports indicating that propofol was continuously administered as a sedative to a child under the age of three run contrary to established global medical guidelines.

“This practice is in direct conflict with international anaesthesia and pediatric safety standards, which clearly warn against prolonged propofol infusion in young children due to the risk of Propofol Infusion Syndrome (PRIS), a complication associated with high morbidity and mortality,” Oyim said.

He explained that PRIS is associated with severe metabolic acidosis, muscle breakdown, cardiac failure and sudden death, adding that international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and leading British anaesthesia institutions have repeatedly warned against such use in paediatric intensive care.

“The FDA expressly states that propofol is not approved for long-term sedation in pediatric intensive care units because of multiple fatalities associated with PRIS,” Oyim stressed.

Beyond the medical concerns, AHAPN stated that the incident exposes deeper flaws in Nigeria’s healthcare governance system. “From a clinical governance and patient-safety perspective, this incident represents a serious deviation from accepted international standards of care. Where safeguards are absent, individual clinical judgment becomes an institutional risk,” Oyim said.

He argued that no healthcare professional should function as the prescriber, administrator and sole monitor of high-risk medications without independent professional oversight.

“This contravenes fundamental principles of good governance. Healthcare delivery, like justice, depends on checks and balances,” he added.

Oyim further criticised what he described as the routine sidelining of pharmacists in critical care decisions, warning that such practices create serious risks.

“The exclusion of pharmacists from the medication-decision continuum, particularly in anaesthesia and pediatric care, constitutes a systemic governance failure, not a mere clinical oversight,” he said.

He noted that clinical pharmacists are specifically trained to identify unsafe drug choices, monitor dosage and duration, and intervene early to prevent fatal outcomes.

“Medication safety is a shared responsibility. High-risk drugs like anaesthetic agents must never be used without structured multidisciplinary oversight,” he added.

AHAPN called for a comprehensive, transparent and independent investigation into the death of Nkanu, as well as urgent reforms to strengthen multidisciplinary medication governance in Nigerian hospitals.

“Paediatric patients are a legally and ethically protected population. They must never be exposed to avoidable pharmacological risk,” Oyim stated.

He warned that failure to enforce international safety standards not only puts lives at risk but also exposes institutions to serious legal and professional consequences.

While expressing condolences to the family, Oyim said, “On behalf of AHAPN, I extend our deepest condolences to Chimamanda and her family. This is a deeply distressing loss that should never be repeated.”

He concluded by calling for collective responsibility in healthcare delivery, saying: “Healthcare must evolve from professional dominance to collaborative accountability. Anything less is not only a clinical failure, but an ethical breach and a governance lapse that places lives at unacceptable risk.”