News / Local
Pupil falls to death on exam eve
07 Oct 2014 at 07:19hrs | Views
BULAWAYO - A-12 year-old Pumula South boy died at Mpilo Central Hospital yesterday on the eve of his first public examinations after he fell and hit his head on concrete steps.
Tafara Zvimbvatu fell to his death when his mother who was carrying him down a flight of stairs to get an X-ray slipped.
The boy, who would have been writing his first examination at Ngwalongwalo Primary School, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning after vomiting and complaining of stomach pains.
His father, Collen Zvimbvatu, said the incident occurred at about 10AM and blamed the hospital's administration for his son's death.
But Lawrence Mantiziba, Mpilo Central Hospital chief executive officer, said he was not aware of the incident.
Similo Zvimbvatu nee Dube, the boy's mother revealed that she was made to carry Tafara on her back and that his drip was not suspended when she slipped.
"At around 10AM this morning, I was told to take him downstairs for a scan as the elevator is broken. As I was climbing down the stairs, I slipped and fell on my knees and Tafara hit his head on the steps. They tried to put him in the resuscitation room but my boy was already gone," she said.
Similo also told the Press that hospital staff refused to attend to her son even as he was vomiting on Sunday night. She was also made to mop up the vomit as the cleaning staff was said to be unavailable.
Ngwalongwalo headmaster, Keyi Moyo, expressed shock, saying Tafara's death had robbed the school of a bright young boy.
Tafara Zvimbvatu fell to his death when his mother who was carrying him down a flight of stairs to get an X-ray slipped.
The boy, who would have been writing his first examination at Ngwalongwalo Primary School, was admitted to the hospital on Sunday morning after vomiting and complaining of stomach pains.
His father, Collen Zvimbvatu, said the incident occurred at about 10AM and blamed the hospital's administration for his son's death.
But Lawrence Mantiziba, Mpilo Central Hospital chief executive officer, said he was not aware of the incident.
Similo Zvimbvatu nee Dube, the boy's mother revealed that she was made to carry Tafara on her back and that his drip was not suspended when she slipped.
"At around 10AM this morning, I was told to take him downstairs for a scan as the elevator is broken. As I was climbing down the stairs, I slipped and fell on my knees and Tafara hit his head on the steps. They tried to put him in the resuscitation room but my boy was already gone," she said.
Similo also told the Press that hospital staff refused to attend to her son even as he was vomiting on Sunday night. She was also made to mop up the vomit as the cleaning staff was said to be unavailable.
Ngwalongwalo headmaster, Keyi Moyo, expressed shock, saying Tafara's death had robbed the school of a bright young boy.
Source - chronicle
