Mourning mother slaps GPH with P7.5m lawsuit
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday June 11, 2015 15:46
Justice Tshepo Motswagole will hear the matter on June 26, in which the client, whom Mmegi cannot name for now because of her medical condition, accuses GPH doctors causing the death of her newly born baby.
According to court papers, the labour summary form states that the caesarean section indicated severe foetal distress.And therefore the baby suffered severe birth Asphyxia.
“Other hospital records show that upon incision of the mother’s womb at the commencement of the caesarean section, the baby was out in the abdomen through a midline rupture of the uterus,” court papers states.
The papers state that one of the doctors told the patient that she would undergo induction because she was due for delivery.
It says by then the patient was at that time on her 40th week of pregnancy. The doctor is accused of having failed to fully inform the client the need for induction rather maintained that the delivery be by induction and booked her on September 8, 2014.
Her attorneys Moeletsi & Motumise wrote that their client was admitted by a nurse instead of a doctor and prior to the admission, no qualified medical practitioner conducted any examination of their client.
“In particular, and inexplicably, no birth carnal examination of the patient was undertaken on admission,” the papers say.
In addition the readiness of the patient for delivery was not established.
“At least six doses of 25 mls of the medicine were administered, and during and between such dosages, no birth carnal examination was done to establish the readiness of the patient to deliver and confirm if the medicine was having the desired or any effect.”
Her attorney says the patient was not informed about the name of such medication and its effect.
The hospital staff is also accused of failing to make proper assessment on the patient and the baby from time of the admission until the emergency operation.
“Had such assessment been made, there would have been no reason for the baby to suffer severe foetal distress. And foetal distress would have been detected. The foetal distress should have been foreseen as a consequence of the constant dosing of the patient with misoprostol,” it says.
Motumise said the said death has caused their clients and their minor children extreme emotional pain and trauma, which requires sustained professional intervention and counselling.
He said their clients have incurred expenses, including funeral ones in the sum of P10, 000.00.
GPH is still to file the answering affidavit.