Nigeria, Nov. 2 -- Last week, I woke up to a cryptic message posted on the WhatsApp status of my cousin, Phillips Akinsuyi. He wrote: "Mummy, I am still trying to convince myself that I did enough for you before you passed. I know my sisters and I did all we could and gave you the very best of medical care, but I will keep trying to convince myself because I could have done much more."

In another post, he lamented that doctors had sent him to purchase medication from the pharmacy when, according to him, they already knew his mother was on the verge of death. He was particularly distressed that he was not by her side when she took her last breath.

I was puzzled by these messages. First, I was shocked to learn that Mama Ajibola Akinsuyi,...