Family plans to sue hospital for professional negligence after woman dies during child birth.
Rose Waithera in an previous photo. The 29-year old lady who died after a Caesarean section gone wrong at Gatundu Level 4 Hospital. |
The family of a 29-year-old Rose Waithera who died at Thika
Level 5 Hospital on April 29 has disputed the postmortem report by the hospital
that she died due to excessive bleeding as a result of ulcers.
The family, who hail from Gatundu South Constituency, have
already postponed her burial ceremony which had been slated for yesterday, to pave
way for a fresh postmortem today.
Waithera lost her life at the Thika Level 5 Hospital where
she had been referred to barely a week after giving birth to a bouncing baby at
Gatundu Level 5 Hospital.
According to her brother Mwangi Kanyingi, Waithera was rushed
to Gatundu Level 4 Hospital on April 19 but the doctors prescribed caesarean
section, presumably in a bid to save both her life and that of the baby’s.
He claims that the medics on duty did a shoddy job and
interfered with the victim’s intestines while at it, leaving her with severe
internal bleeding.
Mwangi adds that even though his sister’s belly started
swelling, she was not immediately attended to. Her condition later deteriorated
prompting the hospital to refer her to Thika Level 5 Hospital on April 26.
He says that doctors at Thika Level 5 Hospital told them
that Waithera’s intestines had been injured during the Caesarean delivery.
He adds that his sister experienced difficulties in breathing
by the time she came out of theatre and was taken to the Intensive Care Unit
for a day before she was transferred to a normal ward.
However, Waithera died on April 27.
“Our sister has never been sick before, not even during her
pregnancy. We are therefore shocked to hear that she died of ulcers,” said Mwangi.
Immediately after the death, members of the public
started a campaign christened “Justice for Waithera” with the intention
to ensure the case reaches the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta whose
“Beyond Zero
campaign” states that no mother or baby should lose their lives during child
birth.
On Monday, Mwangi claimed that the hospital’s postmortem report
conducted last Wednesday did not reflect the true cause of his sister’s death arguing
that hers was a clear case of professional negligence.
“We have engaged a private pathologist for a second opinion
because we totally disagree with this report,” he said.
The family plans to sue the management of the hospital for
negligence after Waithera’s burial, to be held at their home in Ituramiro
village, Gatundu South.
County Health Executive Joseph Murega said his department
was investigating the matter.
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