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Baby Andile after the operation

Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has said investigations into the circumstances leading to the amputation of a month old baby’s hand blamed on alleged medical staff negligence, have been completed.

The Ministry launched the probe last week after the baby’s parents claimed that negligence on the part of Gwanda Provincial Hospital staff necessitated the amputation.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care Public Relations Officer, Dr Donald Mujiri, yesterday said findings of the probe would be made public once the family has been informed of the outcome.

“We have completed carrying out our investigations but we cannot disclose the outcome to the media before we meet the family.

“We’ve already requested the family lawyers for an audience with family to share the results which we hope will be done as soon as possible and then we can update you all,” he said.

Baby Andile had her right arm amputated after nurses at Gwanda Provincial Hospital allegedly mutilated it while trying to insert a cannula. Gangrene had set in on the arm and it was surgically removed at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) on August 23.

The family believes that negligence by hospital staff resulted in the amputation of their child’s arm and they have since engaged lawyers to represent them in demanding compensation from the institution.

Andile’s father, Mr Thabani Galaweni, told The Chronicle that he understands that suing the hospital would not replace their child’s hand but was doing it for the safety of other patients in the future.

“We are not witch hunting but at the same time, we won’t allow negligence at institutions which should be watching out for people’s lives. I will always repeat and won’t hide my bitterness and belief that my daughter will grow up without an arm because hospital staff slept on duty,” he said.

Mr Galaweni said they were devastated by the fact that due to the hospital staff’s negligence, Andile has had to go through a horrible ordeal.

“According to the interviews we had with the officials, I won’t be surprised if the results won’t be in our favour,” he said.

Miss Patience Chikahamadze (25), the baby’s mother, said Andile was born at the health institution on July 22 when she went to visit relatives in Gwanda. She said the baby was admitted for routine observation on July 29 after she was said to be dehydrated.

Miss Chikahamadze said on July 29, nurses pricked her daughter all over her arm in a vain attempt to insert a cannula as they could not locate a vein to put a drip.

“They pricked my baby on almost 10 parts of her body and she wailed piteously. When they eventually forced it in, two pints of fluid were pumped into her arm before the drip stopped flowing and her arm began to swell,” she said.

Andile was eventually transferred to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo on August 8 and she was amputated on August 23 at the United Bulawayo Hospitals.