Family of alleged Marina negligence victim speaks out
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday February 3, 2017 15:23
The faces at the Sefati family home in Mogoditshane are draped in the tired agony that comes from long periods of grieving.
The homestead is quiet and a handful of adults sit under a shade, whispering. Tsholofelo Sefati’s death, allegedly due to gross negligence by staff at Princess Marina, is something the family cannot wrap its mind around.
Elders among the mourners lead the Mmegi newscrew towards a verandah where Mmamontsho Sefati, Tsholofelo’s mother, is seated.
“My daughter had difficulties during the last few months of her pregnancy. I remember that she was once admitted at Princess Marina Hospital when her feet, face and hands were swollen.
“On January 20 this year, she was admitted again as the doctors at Lesirane Clinic suspected that her womb was swollen.
“The next day on Saturday she gave birth to a baby girl through Caesarean section. She told me not to check on her because I might not be able to see her after the operation.
“In the morning when I called her, she said she was feeling better and we agreed that I would check on her during lunchtime after church service. She sounded okay.”
After her church service, Mmamontsho rushed to Marina where she was shocked to hear, for the first time, from doctors that her daughter had died.
“I could not believe my ears. I thought I had not heard them well so I enquired again about my daughter only for the doctor to confirm that indeed she had passed on. “The male doctor kept telling us she had lost a lot of blood.
“He said internal bleeding killed her. The doctor told us that they did notice that my daughter had internal bleeding and they had given her a blood transfusion,” Mmamontsho said.
The same doctor told Mmamontsho that the transfusion did not go well and resulted in blood clots. Tsholofelo’s mother claims the doctor tried to show her a file of the goings-on the night before, but could not find it.
“I told them that they had killed my daughter but one nurse denied it. This nurse said it was God’s will that my daughter died leaving a newborn behind.
“We were told to come witness the post mortem last Saturday but right when we were preparing to depart for Marina, we were called and told not to come.
“We were instead told that we would be given Tsholofelo’s full medical report, including the post mortem results, after two weeks.”
Since the tragedy, the family has learnt that Tsholofelo had complained of severe pain in her lungs, a pain she said was piercing through her heart. Mmamontsho says she also learnt of her daughter’s desperate efforts to seek help from nurses who were in charge the night she had the pain.
“If my daughter had been properly assisted by the time she complained of her pain, she would be alive now. As the family, we will not let the matter rest until we find answers from Princess Marina and be compensated for our daughter’s death.”
Mmamontsho and her husband survive through Ipelegeng. For them, Tsholofelo, was a breadwinner.
“I am lost for words. I wonder how life is going to be for us because we were depending on Tsholofelo for a living. Tsholofelo was taking care of her late sisters’ children and myself. She used to pay their school fees, buy them clothes and feed us,” Mmamontsho said, with tears rolling down her eyes.
Tsholofelo’s death is not the first tragedy to strike the Sefati homestead. Mmamontsho had already lost two daughters before Tsholofelo and after the latest tragedy, she is now left with only a son. Between them, the deceased daughters left behind 10 grandchildren, including four belonging to Tsholofelo.
Most heartbreaking for the old woman is the fact that she had already lost a daughter to a botched C-section, which resulted in too much blood loss.
Tsholofelo’s fiancé and father of her children, Joshua Matsime recounted how his fiancée fell sick after the New Year. He said her blood pressure was constantly high and on January 19 she fell sick.
“She called when I was at the lands and I immediately dropped everything I was doing and rushed to Gaborone. I took her to the clinic where we were referred to Marina as the doctors said her case was beyond them.
“I tried checking on her the next morning, but could not see her as she had been taken to theatre where she would later gave birth to our daughter. I checked on her in the evening and although she said she was feeling better, I could see that she wasn’t because her face was pale,” he said.
Matsime asked the nurses why his fiancée looked pale, could not move and why her stomach looked swollen. He says he was told that it was normal for every new mother who had given birth using C-section to look that way.
Tsholofelo also told him that she was experiencing pain “between her lungs”, but he says the nurses told her the juice she was drinking was behind the pain.
“That night (Saturday) Tsholofelo was sweating, but the nurses said it was normal.
“I was not happy with the nurse’s feedback and tried to look for the hospital matron, but could not find her.
“When I called to check on her, my fiancée said the pain was still there. She said she felt better, but I could hear from her voice that she was not feeling well.
“She told me that even though she felt better the nurses were not giving them necessary care as whenever they asked for their assistance they would be shouted at.”
Matsime’s suspicions grew as he tried calling Tsholofelo and she could not talk. A patient next to her was answering her phones instead.
By Sunday, however, Tsholofelo sounded better and Matsime decided to check on her at lunch only to receive the horrifying news.
“Her friend (in an adjacent bed) told me that she tried to call for help, but the nurses and doctors ignored her.
“She said when Tsholofelo pleaded with the nurse to give her water, as she was thirsty, the nurse told her to get off the bed and fetch it herself.
“When Tsholofelo tried to get off the bed, a big clot of blood fell off her and she fainted. That was the end of my wife’s life.
“I have witnessed all the cruelty done by the medical experts at Marina. Even though I don’t know their names because they don’t put nametags, I can surely identify them when I see them. I want them to pay for killing my ‘wife’,” he angrily said.
The Sefati family intends to take the case to court and is seeking help from Batswana to get justice for their daughter.
Meanwhile, investigations into the incident continue at Princess Marina, whose chief communications and public relations officer, Donnell Kutlapye has said the findings will be made public.