A MUTARE family is at a loss of words after two major medical operations inside 24 hours conducted by a local gynaecologist on a pregnant woman ended tragically.
Roselyn Mutenda died at a private clinic recently after she had been admitted hoping to deliver twins, but inexplicable circumstances surrounding the second operation, which was meant to remove the patient’s uterus by a female Mutare gynecologist, have left the deceased’s relatives a disgruntled lot.
In an interview recently, the deceased’s sister, Julie Nyamajiya, said her family was not happy with the way Roselyn was treated by the gynaecologist.
She bitterly complained that they were not given a copy of the post mortem, let alone being denied the chance to witness the post mortem as it was being done.
Nyamajiya said everything was fishy and complained that the gynaecologist removed the uterus understandably to stop continuous bleeding, but the specialist later professed that the source of the bleeding was not the uterus at all.
“The whole thing (two operations) was not done satisfactorily. At first, we were told that she (Roselyn) had high blood pressure and later only to be told that she would go for an operation in that state.
“We were also not comfortable with my sister being referred to the theatre for the second time inside 24 hours for a second major operation. It was said that the aim of the second operation was to stop bleeding, yet after the operation the gynaecologist told us that the uterus was dry and there were no signs that the purported bleeding started from the uterus.
“They also carried two post mortems on her body without any explanation being given to us or her husband. As if that was not enough, when she passed on, we were denied the chance to witness the post mortems.
“The police officer who also witnessed the post mortems also expressed dissatisfaction when he came out, but did not have the guts to tell us why the post mortems were also not satisfactory to him. We asked for the result but we were not given. We were tossed between the police officer and the gynaecologist until they later read it to us but never gave us a copy,” she said.
In a separate interview, husband to the deceased, Christopher Manjeya, said he was bitter that the gynaecologist decided to remove the uterus, yet it was not the source of the alleged bleeding.
He said he was not happy that the specialist also denied him the chance to witness the post mortems.
“I am bitter that the whole thing was fishy and no credible explanations were given. We are bitter that the gynaecologist decided to remove the uterus, yet it was not the source of the alleged bleeding. I also do not understand why I was denied the chance to witness the post mortems.
“We are hearing a lot of things and complaints from different people who have gone through the same situation. Naturally, that does not make us happy at all. I still feel that my wife could have been alive by now if her situation was handled better and more professionally,” he fumed.
When contacted for comment, the gynaecologist who cannot be named now said she was busy throughout and could not find time to respond to the claims.
“I am busy, I am in the theatre. I will be busy throughout,” she said before she hung up.
Repeated efforts to get her side of the story were fruitless as her mobile phone was unreachable.
Commenting on the incident, Manicaland Provincial Medical Director, Dr Tapiwa Murambi, said he normally has no problems with having relatives of deceased people witness post mortems.
“I have no problems with having relatives of deceased people witness post mortems. I have also conducted some post mortems on a number of occasions and I have had no problems with having relatives witnessing them.
“I really cannot commit myself to comment on what transpired on this particular incident, but if the relatives are bitter and would want to know what exactly transpired they can get the details because details of all medical operations are kept safely,” he said.
Another medical practitioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity for professional reasons, said in most circumstances when a patient dies within 24 hours after operation it is the fault of the aesthetician.
She said under normal circumstances removing the uterus was not an early option for a patient who has just delivered her first born baby or babies.
“I heard about the case in question, but my worry is that in most cases, when the patient dies within 24 hours after operation it is the fault of the aesthetician. I may not know what exactly transpired. However, under normal circumstances removing the uterus is also not an early option for a patient who has just delivered her first born baby or babies.
“The doctor could have first sought the actual source of bleeding before rushing to the uterus. After all, the uterus was dry as you are saying,” she said.
