ABUJA-Minister of State for Health, Dr Muhammed Pate, yesterday expressed displeasure at the death of a woman during child birth at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, describing the circumstances of her death as unacceptable.

The Minister, who visited the hospital on a fact-finding mission, said: “This is a case of maternal mortality happening in a tertiary hospital, it is really regrettable and unacceptable, and there is no reason for a woman to die on a normal physiological exercise of pregnancy case.

“It is not acceptable for a pregnant woman undergoing labour to fall off the table, develops puerperal psychosis and then go on to die, it is not acceptable.”

Pate informed the hospital management that appropriate action or sanction by the Ministry would be conveyed to all concerned, after a thorough investigation of the circumstances that led to the woman’s death.

He, however, dismissed explanations offered by the hospital management for the incidence, saying “I don’t buy the idea of psychosis, let us not look into that until the investigation is concluded.”

Explaining the circumstance of the woman’s death, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Dr. Teddy Agida, said after the woman could not be delivered through the normal process, the hospital was left with no choice than to opt for caesarean operation.

He added that the patient fell off the table in what he described as “emergency situation” within the labour theatre.

Agida also informed the minister that though she recovered on the fourth day, her case compounded when she started displaying irrational behaviour and later died on the 4th of this month.

The deceased, 26-year-old Mrs Nana Lasisi, was said to have fallen from a theatre table during labour, which later led to injuries on her head, after which she was confirmed dead on August 4, 2011, leaving behind a new born baby boy.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/minister-slams-uniabuja-teaching-hospital-over-womans-death/

Unfortunate and sad,but dis kind of incident shd b thorougly investigated and frm d facts unveiled;wt it a standard protocol can b establshd for all hospitals in patient management in d labour room and wards.Dis is d way dveloped nations av bn able 2 reach d heights dey av in patient care:learnin frm mstakes and raisin d bar therefrom,not by hidin tins unda d carpet

Having cameras in the labour theatres would be a good option, especially in a teaching hospital.