The Ekiti State Government has dismissed the surgeon in charge of a controversial kidney surgery on a patient, Joshua Afolayan, at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

This was disclosed on Friday in a statement signed by the Ekiti State Commissioner for Health & Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani.

On Thursday, the office of the Commissioner received the detailed report submitted by the seven-member Panel of Enquiry chaired by Professor Francis Faduyile.

The panel was constituted 11 days ago, to investigate the claim made by Afolayan regarding a surgical procedure he underwent at EKSUTH.

Upon careful review of the report and its recommendations, the Ekiti State Government approved the following actions: “The surgeon who had primary responsibility for the surgery is to be dismissed from the service of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) with immediate effect.

“All members of the surgical team present in the theatre on the day of the operation are to be suspended from duty for a period of one month, pending further administrative review.

“The Ekiti State Government will bear the full cost of a new kidney transplant for Mr. Joshua Afolayan and will also take responsibility for his post-transplant care and transplant related medical maintenance for a period of two years.

In line with the recommendations of the Panel, a comprehensive reorganisation of relevant departments within EKSUTH will be undertaken to strengthen clinical governance, accountability, and patient safety.”

The commissioner warned that while the Ekiti State Government continues to stand firmly behind the many dedicated and hardworking health professionals at EKSUTH and acknowledges their sacrifices and commitment to service, it will not hesitate to take decisive action where professional standards are breached.

Speaking further, Dr. Filani stressed that the government remains resolute in its commitment to protecting patients, upholding an ethical and professional standards in healthcare delivery, and restoring and sustaining public confidence in the Ekiti State health system.

He promised that necessary reforms will be pursued to ensure that incidents of this nature do not recur and that EKSUTH continues to serve as a centre of excellence in patient care.

“We thank the people of Ekiti State for their patience, and trust, and we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to continued improvement in quality health care, compassion, and responsible governance,” the commissioner stated.

Earlier this month, Afolayan had accused the Teaching Hospital of an alleged harvest of his kidney by medical doctors in the facility.

Addressing a press conference in Ado Ekiti, Afolayan explained that he had an accident in August 2025, and after visiting the hospital, he was told that one of his kidneys was affected.

According to him, the results of multiple scans carried out, including at UCH, Ibadan, Oyo State, confirmed that the right kidney had been damaged but the left kidney was very fine.

However, during surgery to remove the faulty kidney so as to protect other organs, Afolayan confirmed that he still urinated five minutes before the surgery, but since the procedure in October, he has not been able to pass urine.

He noted that all efforts to get explanations from the hospital proved abortive, as they continued to play him around.

Afolayan added that on second thought, he decided to visit another facility for scanning, only to discover that he had been living without a kidney since the operation.