Protests after woman bleeds to death while giving birth at Ruai Family Hospital in Tala

​Residents in Tala, Machakos County on Sunday held demonstrations after a woman died while delivering a baby at Ruai Family Hospital.

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​Dozens of area residents stormed the hospital after word went round that 34-year-old Eunice Nzula had bled to death on arrival at Kangundo Level 4 Hospital where she had been taken three hours after heavy bleeding.

​According to her husband, Reuben Ngei, the hospital staff refused to allow him to take her to a different facility as she continued bleeding after giving birth.
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“My wife’s life would have been saved if she had been referred to a government facility which has better equipment, but instead they kicked me out as my wife screamed in pain,” Mr Ngei told the media.

The hospital, through its administrator, Peter Okoth said the deceased could not be referred at the time because she was experiencing active bleeding.

INVESTIGATION

“Our staff did the best they could handling the patient under the circumstances to save her life but her relatives kept interfering which resulted with the doctor telling them politely to step out and let him deal with the emergency,” said Mr Okoth.

The matter was reported at Tala Police Post and is under investigation.
This is not the first such incident at the hospital. In 2017, the hospital was investigated by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board for negligence after a three week newborn baby’s foot was amputated in a case of suspected medical negligence.

The less than one month old baby girl had her foot cut off after it turned gangrenous after a needle for intravenous fluids administration was left in the baby’s foot for over three weeks.

​By Hilary Kimuyu Nation Kenya

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