The Akwa Ibom State Government on Tuesday inaugurated a panel to investigate the death of a woman and her newborn during a cesarean section in a government hospital in the state.
The incident happened over the weekend at the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene, with the relatives of the deceased woman accusing the doctors and hospital workers of negligence.
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A video clip of a weeping woman circulating on Facebook attracted public and government attention to the incident, which has caused outrage across Akwa Ibom.
The woman, who says she is a sister of the deceased, said in the video, “There were no doctors here. They didn’t open the theatre, my sister was unattended for over three hours.”
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“I would like to say that the mood in the state has been very bad because nobody deserves to die while bringing another person into the world,” the Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Ekem, said while inaugurating the 14-member panel. “The governor has been deeply grieved.”
The panel has 10 days to submit its findings to the health commissioner.
Membership of the panel
A professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, Israel Jeremiah, is the chairperson of the investigating panel. He is the provost, College of Health Sciences, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State.
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Rosemary Obong, a director of administration in the Ministry of Health, is to serve as the secretary of the panel.
Other members of the panel are drawn from different professional bodies such as the Nigeria Medical Association (Unyime Ndoh), National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (Nsikan Jacob Udo), civil society organisations (Franklyn Isong), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (Kufre Etuk).
Emem Ette, a lawyer and a representative of the Ministry of Justice, and Okon Emah, a former commissioner in the state, are also members of the panel.
Others are Patricia Etim, a director of nursing services in the Ministry of Health; Maurice Ntiense Utuk, a professor of obstetrics; Nsikak Nyoyoko, a consultant obstetrician; Mfon Akpan, a nurse and midwife; and Oku Okoiseh, a specialist obstetrician.
The health commissioner, Mr Ekem, a medical doctor, said the panel is to examine the remote and immediate causes of the maternal and neonatal mortality that occurred at the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene.
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“The committee will review all medical records and documentation related to the deceased patient’s antenatal care, labour, delivery, theatre, and post-delivery management; interview relevant medical personnel, administrative staff, and witnesses involved in the patient’s care; assess the readiness and functionality of equipment, manpower, and resources in the labour and delivery unit and theatre of the hospital; determine whether there was any act of negligence, breach of protocol, or professional misconduct; evaluate the hospital’s adherence to standard obstetric protocols and emergency response procedures and communication failures; make recommendations for institutional, administrative, and clinical improvements to prevent future occurrences,” the commissioner said.
“Following the public outcry, many people have reached out and said they have also been victims of negligence in other hospitals. We have decided that within the last 90 days, if you have received care from any government or private hospital in Akwa Ibom State that you considered negligent, please approach the committee with your petition,” he added.
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