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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO woman whose premature twin baby girl died a few days after she was exposed to high temperatures in an incubator at Mpilo Central Hospital two years ago, has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the health facility and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

According to the summons filed at the Bulawayo High Court last week, Nobuhle Nkomo is the plaintiff while Mpilo Central Hospital and Ministry of Health and Child Care were cited as the defendants. She is demanding $500, 000 from each of the respondents.

Nkomo through her lawyers, Cheda and Partners, accuses Mpilo Central Hospital staff of gross medical negligence. “On July 10, 2013 at about 12PM, I went for routine breast-feeding and was shocked to find my twin babies placed in an incubator despite the fact that they never suffered from hypothermia. I helplessly watched my babies being roasted and crying in pain as a result of over-exposure to the heater,” said Nkomo.

Hypothermia is a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature, usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures.

“One of my daughters developed skin disfigurement and breathing problems that led to her death while the other sustained swollen hands and her skin colour turned charcoal black. Her fingers were subsequently amputated and I also developed hypertension,” she said.

Nkomo said she informed a nurse who was on duty but she did not act. The nurse on duty said that it was normal, but one of the twins died days later, she said.

Nkomo also stated in her plaintiff’s declaration that she was unfairly detained at the hospital for owing the institution $278 for her stay at the hospital.

According to the court papers, Nkomo is suing defendants for corrective operation, physiotherapy, discomfort, permanent disability, loss of life, general pain and suffering.

“As a result of the Mpilo Central Hospital’s wrongful and negligent actions, my surviving daughter and I couldn’t sleep and we had to rely on a heavy dosage of sleeping tablets, which induced stupor. I developed a chronic headache, hallucinations and pain,” she said.

Nkomo has instructed her lawyers to demand from each of the defendants $100,000 for permanent disfigurement, $50,000 for corrective operation and medication, $50,000 for physiotherapy, $100,000 for general damages and $200, 000 for loss of life.

Nkomo from Makokoba gave birth to premature female twins in July 2013 and the babies were subsequently hospitalised for three weeks and according to her all seemed well.

Cases of prevalent negligence are not new at Mpilo Central Hospital.

Recently a Bulawayo family blamed hospital staffers after their three-week child died while receiving treatment at the hospital.

Simbarashe Murozvi and his wife Ratidzo said their son, Perez, died from complications arising from a mistake by the hospital’s medical personnel who were treating him for a kidney ailment.

A staffer at the hospital allegedly made a mistake resulting in the infant’s arm being amputated.

Health and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa said new born babies account for about 30 percent of deaths among children under the age of five and are therefore a high priority for the government if the country is to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) deadline on reducing child deaths.

According to Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey, the maternal mortality rate has tripled from 283 deaths per 100,000 live births to 960 in recent years.