News / Local
Doctors forget piece of cloth in womb
16 Oct 2015 at 06:45hrs | Views
A BULAWAYO woman yesterday said she will never conceive again due to negligence by United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) doctors who left a piece of cloth in her womb after she gave birth at the institution recently.
Idai Nyika, 21, from Pumula North said she was admitted to the hospital expecting to give birth on March 16 this year and delivered a baby through Caesarean section and the doctors left a cloth in her body.
Nyika said the cloth went undetected for about four months and the horror of what had happened to her was revealed through an x-ray examination, resulting in her womb being removed. The woman, who has one child, said because of the negligence she can no longer conceive.
She said she is now battling medical bills that could have been avoided if doctors had initially done a thorough job. Yesterday, The Chronicle visited Nyika at her home and she narrated the horrendous experience.
"After giving birth in March through an operation I was in constant pain, the stitches were not healing up. I returned to the hospital in April and they cleaned me up as the pus was coming from the operation," said Nyika, who was shedding tears.
She said hospital officials accused her of poor personal hygiene practice and that was given as the reason why pus was oozing out.
"They ill-treated me. They said I was failing to bath. They cleaned it but nothing changed. In July the operation burst while I was at home. I was rushed to the hospital. I was taken for an x-ray, that is when it was discovered that doctors had left a cloth inside me," she said.
Nyika said up to now she is not sure whether the hospital's medical team removed the whole cloth.
"I will only be convinced after going for another x-ray check-up. Up to now I sometimes feel pain when I bend. I can't perform my chores. What pains me more is that after accusing me of being untidy they never bothered apologising to us," said Nyika.
She said the operation affected her ability to breastfeed her son.
"My child had to be breast-fed for only four months. This is because I couldn't eat and was surviving on drip most of those days when I was not feeling well. Also some of my intestines had to be cut as they were already affected by the cloth," she said.
Nyika said her husband, Polite Nkiwane, is a vendor selling wares at Basch Street Terminus popularly known as Egodini and they were struggling to pay the $140 hospital bill.
She said due to economic challenges she could no longer go to hospital for a review.
Nkiwane said his family has been affected by the negligence at UBH.
"My wife can't work anymore. She now depends on light meals, she can't eat sadza and other normal foods that are eaten in most families. She can longer conceive. All these things are affecting us as family," he said.
UBH's chief executive officer Nonhlanhla Ndlovu asked for an hour to verify the case, but was not reachable at the appointed time.
Idai Nyika, 21, from Pumula North said she was admitted to the hospital expecting to give birth on March 16 this year and delivered a baby through Caesarean section and the doctors left a cloth in her body.
Nyika said the cloth went undetected for about four months and the horror of what had happened to her was revealed through an x-ray examination, resulting in her womb being removed. The woman, who has one child, said because of the negligence she can no longer conceive.
She said she is now battling medical bills that could have been avoided if doctors had initially done a thorough job. Yesterday, The Chronicle visited Nyika at her home and she narrated the horrendous experience.
"After giving birth in March through an operation I was in constant pain, the stitches were not healing up. I returned to the hospital in April and they cleaned me up as the pus was coming from the operation," said Nyika, who was shedding tears.
She said hospital officials accused her of poor personal hygiene practice and that was given as the reason why pus was oozing out.
"They ill-treated me. They said I was failing to bath. They cleaned it but nothing changed. In July the operation burst while I was at home. I was rushed to the hospital. I was taken for an x-ray, that is when it was discovered that doctors had left a cloth inside me," she said.
Nyika said up to now she is not sure whether the hospital's medical team removed the whole cloth.
She said the operation affected her ability to breastfeed her son.
"My child had to be breast-fed for only four months. This is because I couldn't eat and was surviving on drip most of those days when I was not feeling well. Also some of my intestines had to be cut as they were already affected by the cloth," she said.
Nyika said her husband, Polite Nkiwane, is a vendor selling wares at Basch Street Terminus popularly known as Egodini and they were struggling to pay the $140 hospital bill.
She said due to economic challenges she could no longer go to hospital for a review.
Nkiwane said his family has been affected by the negligence at UBH.
"My wife can't work anymore. She now depends on light meals, she can't eat sadza and other normal foods that are eaten in most families. She can longer conceive. All these things are affecting us as family," he said.
UBH's chief executive officer Nonhlanhla Ndlovu asked for an hour to verify the case, but was not reachable at the appointed time.
Source - chronicle
