'Doctor lied to deceased's relatives over botched operation'

A nurse testifying in the ongoing inquest hearing into the death of a local woman, Beauty Zinyomwe, told the court last Friday that surgeon Conway Zengeza had misled the woman's relatives into believing that she was still alive when she had died at the operating table.

The nurse, Melody Shava, told the court that it was Doctor Zengeza who on December 7 2012 certified the death of Zinyomwe who died on the operating table due to loss of blood from wounds sustained during the operation.

"In my view, she died of bleeding which was caused as the surgeon (Dr Zengeza) encountered difficulty during the operation to remove the uterus . . . the anaesthetist informed us that the patient had stopped breathing and the surgeon certified her dead around 2000hrs," she told the court.

The deceased's husband Joachim Zinyome, leading evidence in the same court, said when Zengeza emerged from the theatre room, he told him that his wife was still battling for life after completion of the operation.

"I met the doctor (Zengeza) as he left the hospital and asked him on my wife's condition. He told me that she was hanging on while his staff was waiting for some additional units of blood which was being transported from Gweru," Joachim told the inquest.

Anaesthetist Oripa Green also testified saying Zinyomwe's uterus was in a bad state and had to be removed piece by piece because it was breaking as Zengeza tried to pull it out.

She blamed Zinyomwe for not giving her correct medical history saying she told the nurses that she had been unwell for only two weeks when in fact she had been unwell for a long time.

Green also said that since Zinyomwe had undergone three operations in the past while giving birth, the operation to remove the uterus was made more difficult because the uterus was now stuck to the abdomen.

"Subsequently Zinyomwe died owing to bleeding from the abdominal walls which bleeding was caused during surgery," she said while giving evidence.

Her husband has since disputed this saying his wife's medical doctor for more than 10 years was Zengeza who was well aware of her medical history.

Zengeza, who continuously shook his head from the gallery each time questions were thrown to witnesses, is represented by lawyer Josinia Maupa.