A Harare woman has sued Vice President and health minister Constantino Chiwenga for ZW$700 000 after she lost her unborn child at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on June, 6.
Valerie Chibaya cited Chiwenga as a defendant and sued him in his capacity as Health minister after accusing health officials at the hospital of neglecting to treat her as a medical emergency.
According to her High Court papers, Chibaya went to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on June 17 when she was 23 weeks pregnant after experiencing unusual abdominal pains.
She said that the doctors and nurses did not take her temperature, blood pressure or sugar levels nor did they do a routine check-up on her when she arrived at the hospital.
Chibaya added that they insisted she gets a scan first before they could treat her, despite her obvious pain and discomfort.
She claims that she began to bleed, without any treatment or even a wheelchair being provided.
She added that she eventually went into premature labour and lost her baby without receiving any emergency medical care from staff at the hospital.
“It is reasonably foreseeable that a pregnant woman presenting herself at night in severe abdominal pain, if not medically assisted diligently and as a matter of urgency would develop complications threatening her life, causing pain and suffering, loss of and amenities of life.
“The traumatic experience by the plaintiff occurred in a public place where people watched her in such a vulnerable position. Plaintiff as a result was humiliated, demeaned and embarrassed,” reads Chibaya’s summons.
Chiwenga and his ministry have not yet filed a response to Chibaya’s suit.
Due to poor health delivery in Zimbabwe, Chiwenga was flown to China for special treatment recently despite the fact that he had banned foreign health travels when he was appointed health minister.
