Abuja, January 5, 2024: The National Hospital in Abuja has refuted recent reports suggesting that it referred veteran Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, to a private medical facility for additional treatment. The hospital asserted that the decision to transfer Orji was made against the advice of its management by the actor’s family.
In a statement released yesterday in Abuja, Professor Muhammad Mahmud, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the National Hospital, disclosed that the family of Zack Orji took him away from the medical facility despite being advised otherwise by the hospital’s management.
Prof Mahmud clarified that Orji was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Hospital on New Year’s Eve. After stabilization, he was subsequently moved to the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) ward. Later, he was transferred to the orthopaedic ward where preparations for surgery had commenced.
However, the CMD explained that on January 1, 2024, the family of the patient signed a form titled ‘Leaving Against Medical Advice,’ thereby halting all preparations for the scheduled surgery.
The statement, signed by the hospital’s spokesperson, Tayo Hastrup, on behalf of the CMD, reads: “Attention of the National Hospital, Abuja, has been drawn to a publication insinuating that the apex hospital referred the Nigerian actor, Zack Orji, to a private hospital in Abuja. To set the record straight, the actor, who was brought in on New Year’s Eve and admitted to the ICU, was stabilised by National Hospital, Abuja, and moved to the ENT ward.”
“Later in the day, he was transferred to the orthopaedic ward, where our surgeons began preparing him for surgery. However, the relatives of the patient signed a form, ‘Leaving Against Medical Advice,’ on January 1, 2024. This thwarted all preparations for his surgery. Nevertheless, the Management of National Hospital, Abuja, wishes him speedy recovery.”
Contrary to initial reports, Zack Orji reportedly underwent a successful brain surgery at a private hospital in Wuse following his departure from the National Hospital. The National Hospital, while clarifying the situation, extends its well wishes for the actor’s speedy recovery.
