University of Calabar suspends 4 staff over student’s death

The University of Calabar has suspended four of its staff members at the institution’s medical center over the death of a 300-level student of the Department of Library and Information Science, Ms. Precious Agindi.

The student lost her life on January 28, 2023, at the university’s Medical Center after she was denied medical care for allegedly not having the university’s medical consulting card worth N200.

Briefing newsmen, the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, on Tuesday, Feb.14, said that the affected staff were placed on a 3-month suspension for showing a lack of “emotional commitment” to the deceased and for demanding money for a medical card against the medical center policy of attending to patients in critical condition first.

She further explained that the late student was taking treatment for an undisclosed ailment in other private clinics and was only taken to the medical center by her friends when she was in a very critical medical condition the day she died.

Obi clarified that the autopsy conducted on the deceased revealed her death had nothing to do with the rumored ruptured appendicitis as her appendix was found to be healthy, not inflamed, and intact. 

Precious has since been laid to rest on Feb. 11, 2023 in her hometown, Gbe Nanav in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.