Princess Marina in another negligence controversy

  • Woman allegedly died after c-section due to negligence
  • An investigation has since been launched

KAGO KOMANE

Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) has come under intense public scrutiny after yet another case of alleged negligence in which a woman died following a caesarian section operation last week.
This incident surfaced on social media causing public outrage, with some members of the public calling on PMH to be investigated to curb the negligence they allege is rife at the hospital.
According to reports, the deceased woman had complained several times that she was not feeling well two days after her operation. An eyewitness said she suspected the patient could not get up on her own and had spent the whole day in bed. She says the nurse on duty ignored her when she was pleading for water, saying she was angry.
It was only after a doctor later asked the nurse to assist the patient to go to the bathroom that the nurse angrily assisted her, grumbling that it was not part of her job description to do so. It is alleged that a huge blood clot reportedly fell from the woman, following which she fainted with the doctor and nurse failing to resuscitate her. She was pronounced dead a few minutes later.
The hospital has since released a statement saying they are investigating the matter. “Princess Marina Hospital acknowledges recent allegations of negligence circulating in social media about a mother who died after undergoing a caesarian section operation,” they wrote.
They further said they had contacted the individual who posted about the matter on Facebook and is assisting them with investigations.  “We will also notify our stakeholders such as the Botswana Health Professions Council and Nursing and Midwifery council of Botswana as well as the ministry of health and wellness,” they said.
This incident is one of many reported in recent times where several members of the public came out claiming to have witnessed negligence, in some instances citing situations in which patients ended up losing lives.
Last year, the ministry admitted that 5 patients had been mistakenly infused with syphilis infected blood. The incident was first exposed in the media and was later showed to be the result of staff carelessness. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dorcas Makgatho Malesu later said the “error” in the blood samples was detected and the ministry was working around the clock to rectify the situation.
In another case where a patient died, one witness who sneaked into the medical wards before visiting hours to check on his relative stumbled upon a case of negligence where one man died after his oxygen supply was disconnected for hours without help.
He had narrated on social media how he and security guards had to come to the rescue of the patient after he had fallen down, after kicking helplessly while the nurses just sat back without offering help. The patient died moments later after doctors were called.
Just in December, this publication ran a story where sources alleged that 38 premature babies had died at PMH in November due to lack of medication for their aliments. The hospital Superintendent Dr. Kelebogile Motumise however could not confirm or deny the number of babies who died, saying however that none of the deaths were as a result of drug shortages.