Consolata Hospital Mathari on the spot over new-born’s death

Doctors at the Consolata Hospital Mathari in Nyeri County are being investigated for possible negligence following the death of a new-born baby.

The doctors have been accused of medically inducing labour on a woman for 34 hours, disregarding her request and medical reports suggesting that she required caesarean section birth.

Mr Felix Muriithi and his wife, Jacinta Muriithi, claim that the hospital ignored pre-natal records that showed that the unborn baby weighed 3.7 kilos which would normally call for caesarean section birth.

WAITED FOR 22 HOURS

Besides the pain she endured, Ms Muriithi reportedly waited for 22 hours after her water broke before she was finally wheeled into the theatre for the operation.

The hopes of welcoming their first child were crushed when the baby died minutes after delivery, in what the couple has described as negligence by doctors and total disregard of patient feedback.

The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard Muriithi admitted the hospital management is aware of the case and that investigations are underway.

He said that meetings have been held with experts from different departments on the case in efforts to understand what happened on the said day.

“This is an unfortunate case that will be taken with a lot of seriousness but for now I cannot give further details because I am still waiting to be briefed by the experts,” the hospital boss said.

EXISTING RECORDS

The couple claims that prior to admission, they had made the hospital aware of existing records that showed that the child exceeded the average weight and size which meant that normal birth would be impossible.

“I had been attending clinics in a different hospital in Thika and the doctors told me that the child was big and I could not deliver normally. I was prepared for CS (caesarean section) when I went to hospital,” she said.

Ms Muriithi was admitted to the hospital on April 12 for what she expected to be a quick procedure.

To her shock, doctors told her that her case was not an emergency and did not require an operation. Instead, the doctors opted to induce labour on her.

NO DELIVERY

For more than six hours, she lay in bed waiting to deliver but when this did not happen, she raised her concerns with doctors.

“We enquired and the doctors insisted her case was normal and continued to inject her with more labour inducing drugs,” Mr Muriithi told the Nation.

At around 11pm, her water broke but she still did not deliver.

She claims that she attempted to reach doctors on duty to attend to her but none was available.

“I kept updating them on my condition but the nurses eventually left me alone calling me a stubborn slay queen. I asked for a doctor but the nurse I asked left me in the ward office for an hour and on coming back said I had to wait until 6am for the doctor to come to the hospital,” Ms Muriithi said.

The following day, doctors are said to have left her lying in bed despite her constant pleas for caesarean section.

WRONGLY POSITIONED

A final check by one of the doctors later in the evening reportedly showed that the baby was wrongly positioned.

“They told us that the baby was not properly positioned and she had to undergo emergency CS,” Mr Muriithi said.

At around 9pm on April 13, the mother was finally wheeled into theatre and delivered the baby. However, the baby was born weak and oxygen had to be administered.

“The baby was bluish in colour and very weak. The doctor who talked to us said that this was due to lack of oxygen and that the baby was strained due to the prolonged labour,” Mr Muriithi said.

BABY DIES

The baby died a later that night,

The parents are now accusing doctors and nurses at the hospital of being responsible for the death of their child.

“Why did they refuse to accept our request for CS? Why did they not consider the weight and size of the baby? For all that time they should have done something to save our baby,” Mr Murithi said.

The matter has been reported to the Nyeri Central Police Station.

The couple has also said that it has reported the case to the Nursing Council of Kenya.