Woman left bedridden after cervical cancer operation

A MUTARE woman is hospitalised and lying in agony at a local private clinic after undergoing a cervical cancer operation early last month which, however, left her bleeding and discharging pus continuously.

Since Ms Angela Gara was operated on by a Mutare gynecologist (name withheld) on July 16, she has not stopped discharging pus, a case which she and other medical practitioners described as anomalous.

When The Manica Post heard of her plight through sources at the clinic and visited her last week, Ms Gara was in excruciating pain and referred all questions to a distraught relative.

Hopelessness was all over Ms Gara's face, while her disgruntled relative who spoke on condition of anonymity explained how the operation turned out to be a curse.

"We are worried about the unfortunate results of the operation. We are stuck and really don't know what to do next. Several doctors who sometimes come to assess her condition deem it hopeless. This is not normal.

"The gynecologist has not been forthcoming and we are worried that this condition could be worse than it is now. The discharging of pus started a few days after the operation. This case is shocking since most women undergo such operations successfully.

"Everything got complicated just after the operation and the specialist showed no remorse after realising what had happened. We are worried. We do not know what to do next," said the relative.

When this paper contacted the gynecologist for comment she said: "I cannot talk to you now. The situation that I am in does not allow me to talk to you now," she said before hanging up.

Manicaland Provincial Medical Director, Dr Tapiwa Murambi, ruled out a case of negligence and incompetence on the side of the specialist, saying the development could be a case of advanced cancer.

"The cancer might be at an advanced stage. The cancer cells might have spread to other organs and the condition could possibly need radiotherapy.
"If cancer reaches an advanced stage it will be difficult to tame. It is very possible that cancer cells would have travelled to other organs therefore making it difficult to control. Some patients, however, do not like radio therapy," said Dr Murambi.

Contacted for comment, Mutare-based medical practitioner, Dr Tendai Zuze, said: "The continuous discharge of pus means that she could have an infection due to other illness. The infection could be causing all that."

In April this year, a Mutare woman, Roselyn Mutenda died at a private clinic recently after she was a victim of a suspected botched operation.
Mutenda's family members expressed disgruntlement over the way the operations were done.

The late Mutenda had been admitted hoping to deliver twins but could not make it alive after she underwent two major operations in 24 hours. Mutenda reportedly underwent the operations while she had high blood pressure.