ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
A bereaved civil servant in Bauchi, Adamu Misau, has expressed his grievances over circumstances surrounding his pregnant wife’s death because of alleged doctor’s negligence at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital and the Bauchi Specialist Hospital.
He said his wife had complications while delivering a stillbirth on July 22nd at a Primary Health Care facility in the state.
Misau, a staff of the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC), told journalists at a press conference that his wife, who had her antenatal at PHC in Bauchi metropolis was referred to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) where she was attended to.
He narrated that his wife, Seliha Yahaya Muhammad underwent surgical operation at the tertiary Hospital and was later told that she needed to be placed on a dialysis machine.
The 40-year old said: “They told us that their machine was not functioning at the time but referred us to the Bauchi State Specialist Hospital.
“This happened in the morning of 4th of August but sadly, they did not release her to go for the dialysis at Specialist Hospital until 11pm, she was delayed for about 12 hours (a distance of about 3 kilometers).
“When they finally released her, one of the doctors tore a sheet of paper without any letter head of the Hospital (ATBUTH), then wrote to the receiving hospital, saying: ‘Sir, to whom it may concern, please, kindly help and suture the site that I forgot to suture. I have already dressed the site by the time I saw the suture.’ which she signed.”
Misau further narrated that a lady, one of the staff in the dialysis unit of the Hospital, asked him to pay N14,000 cash to put his wife on patient’s dress stressing that “I demanded for receipt or any evidence of payment because I know that any payment you make there, you are given a receipt, but the lady declined and told me that the payment of cash is a routine in the unit.”
He added that on getting to the Specialist Hospital, the head of the unit was said to be on Sallah break but called some of her subordinates.
“The staff who they said was in custody of the key did not respond to calls put across, sadly he switched off her phone. We were not attended to till about 2:00am before returning back to ATBUTH.
“While we were there, we narrated our experience but nothing was done to help my wife. Painfully, my wife died about two hours later,” he said.
He alleged that after loosing his baby and 30-year old wife, he sought to see the Acting CMD of ATBUTH to complain to him but was prevented.
The bereaved husband urged the State Commissioners for health and women affairs to get justice for his late wife.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Female Lawyers, (FIDA) Bauchi State Chapter has threatened legal action against ATBUTH and Specialist Hospital if justice was not done for Seliha.
The Association’s Chairperson, Mrs Fatima Abubakar who spoke to journalists wondered why a woman would died of such avoidable death during childbirth.
She said: “Justice must be done on this case or else we institute a suit against them.”
In a reaction, the Acting Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Dr. Saidu Kadas said the management was not aware of the incident.
Speaking with journalists in his office, he said: “I’m just hearing this today, I have not received any written complaint in my office regarding this matter. I expected the man to have done this, we don’t joke with cases like this.”
Kadas promised to initiate an investigation into the allegations of negligence on the part of the staff and do justice while urging the bereaved husband to come forward with his formal letter of complain.
“We need to meet him because we don’t have any details of the deceased. Also, we will ensure that the indicted staff who was said to have collected the money be identified because we don’t deal with cash,” he said.
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