This archive report was first published on 25 June 2020.
On May 27, 2020, Faith Nzula, 26, walked into Pumwani Maternity Hospital expecting to deliver her baby through an elective Caesarean procedure, a method she had successfully used for her six-year-old son.
However, the hospital denied her request, citing that they were only handling emergency surgeries at the time. Despite having a booking for the elective procedure, Ms. Nzula was forced to undergo a normal delivery, which resulted in complications.
She was kept on hold for four days before being induced, and during this time, her condition worsened. Her husband, Kevin Mugoha, explained that she was not assisted by the nurses, who told her to wait because there were other critical patients who needed to be handled first.
Ms. Nzula's condition deteriorated further, and she was rushed to theatre in a bad condition. It was during the process of removing the baby that her womb ruptured, and she was left nursing wounds from a Caesarean section surgery and a ruptured uterus.
Tragically, the baby had died due to ingesting fluids in the womb and getting stuck. Mr. Mugoha parted with some money to a man who claimed to assist his wife, but it was later discovered that he was a crook.
Speaking to Nation on phone, Pumwani's Deputy Director of Health Elizabeth Kimani confirmed that the matter was being investigated. She stated that the issue was being looked into and that the officer who was in charge of the ward would be questioned to determine what happened.
