Pain of a family still waiting for ‘baby’ four months after delivery

Early on Wednesday on June 16, Chege Francis Mulwa left his home in Kiserian a little exited. If all went according to plan, he would be a father for the third time before the day ended. He was hoping for a daughter but, if he got a son, he would not complain.

As he left for his business, he left strict instructions to his sister-in-law who was playing matron for the day. He wanted to be kept updated. Were his wife to sneeze, hiccup or go into labour, Chege was to be immediately notified.

At 3 p.m., a call came through from his sister. His wife Edith had gone into labour. He advised that she be taken to a private clinic in Ngong town. The instructions were followed and, half an hour later, she was in the clinic.

“I was told the doctor looked her over and referred her to Kenyatta National Hospital,” said an emotional Mr Chege.

At 6 p.m., Mrs Chege, accompanied by her sister, arrived at Kenyatta National Hospital. The doctor on duty examined her and recommended a caesarean section.

“My wife says they told her if she were to deliver naturally, some complications may arise. So he recommended surgery,” Mr Chege said.

At 9 p.m., Mrs Chege was anaesthetised and wheeled into the theatre.

The next morning, Mr Chege arrived at the hospital with a bit of shopping he had managed to do: a pack of Pampers, some fruit and some clothes for his wife and the newborn.

When he entered the largest referral hospital in East and Central Africa, all he saw was his stitched-up wife and no baby.

“They said the baby developed complications during the operation. It didn’t survive. It was a stillbirth,” Mr Chege said.

His sadness stems not only from the death of the child but also from the fact that they had no one to take home and did not even know whether the child was a boy or a girl.

And when Monday dawns, they will be entering the fourth month of their wait to retrieve the body of their baby.

On the third day, the couple was told that the bodies of stillborn babies were disposed of immediately, and there was no way they could obtain it or find out its sex. Mrs Chege was then discharged.

And this is not the first time claims have been made that there is something rotten in Kenya’s public health system.

Three weeks ago, Kenyans were shocked by media revelations of a thriving organ trade whose source is thought to be the KNH mortuary. The revelation led to the introduction of a new body release certification form that requires claimants to ascertain that the bodies they collect from the hospital’s mortuary are in good condition.

Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o was quoted as describing the theft of body parts as a “criminal offence”, forcing the hospital to invite detectives to investigate the extent of theft of body parts at the hospital mortuary.

In June, a doctor stationed in Mwingi allegedly left the operating room for the bar, abandoning a patient on the operating table. Although the doctor was interdicted, the 26-year-old mother died of excessive bleeding.

Investigations by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists’ Board concluded that the doctor was at fault for the loss of the young mother’s life.
Mrs Chege agrees that she is lucky to have come through the ordeal alive.

“Although I may have survived, I feel incomplete. They need to tell me where my baby went. I need the body to confirm that I lost it. Before then, I believe my baby may be alive in another person’s arms,” she says.

Kenyatta National Hospital Public Relations Officer Simon Ithae says the hospital is not aware of the plight of the Chege family but, under normal circumstances, a body is supposed to be given to the next of kin.

“Normal procedure dictates that the client be given the body and informed of the cause of death. That is how it is supposed to be,” he said.

Under very special circumstances such as when the baby is premature, the hospital may advise the family against claiming the body.

Full term

Mrs Chege’s pregnancy had run its full term.

“What pains me is that no one told me what went wrong or who is at fault. Was it me or was it the doctor?” she said.

After the delivery, the mother of two developed further complications and was hospitalised for several more days. Although she was discharged last Friday, her husband says she is not the same woman.

“I can tell she is not right. Something within her has changed,” he said.

In front of their other children, Mr Chege puts on a brave face. He acts as though everything were all right. But deep down he, too, is fighting his wars.

“When he thinks no one is watching, there is a sadness that comes around him,” said his neighbour, Peris. “You can tell he hasn’t come to terms with the loss.”

Perceptions from neighbours and friends also contribute to the pain of the couple that has been living together for six years.

Mr Ithae of KNH says the family will be accorded the help they deserve in finding out what went wrong.

“If it happened as they say it did, we would like to know which office they visited, then we will follow up the matter,” says the PR Officer.

Cries ignored

Mr Chege said his faith in getting help from the institution is waning since previous cries for help have been ignored.

“No one talked to us, from the nurses to the doctors that were making rounds in the hospital. At one point, even the guards would not let me in, saying I was becoming a nuisance,” he said.

The hospital’s PRO said there would be further investigations into the matter.

“When dealing with issues of life, proper procedure needs to be followed. We cannot brush aside the loss of life. More will be done to find out if this was a case of malpractice or otherwise,” he says.

For the Cheges, however, the help cannot come fast enough.