Nyangabgwe taken to task over baby's amputated finger

GALE NGAKANE
Correspondent | Tuesday May 18, 2010 00:00

 

Little Tuelo Moloi is going to grow up without the ring finger after alleged 'gross negligence' by the Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital led to the finger being amputated.

At two months old, the baby girl was taken to the hospital by her mother, Tapiwa on April 21 with a problem of diarrhoea and vomiting.

She was allegedly put on a drip as she had suffered from dehydration from the diarrhoea and vomiting. The drip was allegedly placed in a vein at the centre of the tiny backhand and a bandage was wrapped around the hand.

Tapiwa says four days later, she realised that the bandage around the hand was so tight the whole arm had turned blue and was swollen. She then alerted a nurse who promised to come back later.

'It was not until the following day (April 25) that the nurse came back and loosened the bandage. But I could see that the baby was still uncomfortable,' she said as she nursed Tuelo who was suckling her two remaining fingers, oblivious that one finger was missing.

Some days later, a doctor who came to examine the baby unwrapped the bandage and discovered that the affected finger had been so badly damaged it had to be amputated.

Tapiwa, 32, a mother of four and an employee of a  construction company in her home village of Mathangwane told Mmegi that what surprised her is that no one came to explain to her or even apologise for the amputation of her baby's finger.

'Nobody ever came to explain to me why they did this. I am hurt and disappointed with this hospital,' she said. She revealed that she was also contemplating approaching the courts for redress.

The hospital's public relations officer, Caiphus Gabana professed ignorance about the issue when Mmegi visited him at his office on Friday. He promptly rounded up the hospital administration authorities, the Hospital Manager and the matron before announcing that they would be visiting the patient.

Later he (Gabana) called Mmegi to disclose that they met the mother of the patient who expressed her unhappiness with the way her daughter's finger was amputated.

'At the moment, we are still to sit and investigate to find out whether this was a case of negligence or there was a condition which forced the amputation of the finger. We cannot at this stage say the hand was not properly bandaged as the mother of the child is saying,' said Gabana.

'She may be using layman's knowledge just like you and me,' stressed Gabana.