By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi
Three nurses have been suspended by the Buea District hospital authority, following their supposed negligence and incompetence which resulted in the death of a pregnant woman. The ill-fated incident occurred recently, where a 32 year-old pregnant woman by name Damaris lost her life.
It is reported that the pregnant woman entered the hospital healthy, only to leave as a corpse. Narrating the story, the husband of the deceased, Dayang Bouba said his wife complained of some pains in her stomach which caused her to go to the hospital for consultation. “She told me she was going to the hospital for consultation to check if it is time for her to put to birth. When she reached the hospital, it was not easy to see the doctor, as another patient was in the delivery room. After 30mins, I called but she was not picking the phone. When I came to the hospital, I was asked to buy medicines and in a short while I couldn’t hear my wife’s voice again, and I was told she had kicked the bucket”, Bouba explained.
The incident generated a huge crowd at the hospital made up the woman’s family members who came demanding justice to be carried out and for compensation to be made. “We came to see the doctor because we were not convinced by the accounts provided by the nurses. The hospital should not be a dying place and they should take good care of anyone who is brought to the hospital”, a member of the Regional Committee to fight against maternal mortality said.
While fingers pointed at the nurses who were on call at the maternity ward for demonstrating signs of neglect, the nurses blamed the deceased (Damaris) for wilfully pushing out the child.
“She said it is not true but that she is feeling pains from the drip that was given to her. She asked for the drip to be removed but the nurses denied saying it is the drip that will help her”, explained one family member
The Director of the Regional hospital, Prof. Enow Orock George swiftly convened a crisis meeting in which he made known to the family that the nurses in question have been suspended indefinitely. The situation has left everyone in a state of distress.