By Engineer Tiger Koang, Juba, South Sudan,
September 26, 2021 — It’s on the 8th of August 2021, when I lost my only beloved wife in Juba Teaching Hospital. The late died with a baby of 8-month and 19 days in her womb. It happened on Sunday night around 1 A.M. At home in Gudele 1 when she developed abdominal pain and unusual movement of the baby in the womb.
She’s rushed to the private clinic (Medicare Medical Centre) just minutes away from home, unfortunately only midwives were on night duty; they told us that there’s no doctor. They advised us to take her to Juba Medical Complex( JMC) hoping there could be a doctor working at night. At JMC there’re only midwives; no doctor on night duty and they are also advised to take her to Juba Teaching Hospital.
At 2 A.M Upon arrival at Juba Teaching Hospital, the doctor on duty did an ultrasound scan and said that the baby was dead in the womb due to a sectioned umbilical cord and there was internal bleeding; so the doctor decided to do the operation in order to save the mother.
The doctor asked for a test for CBC to check for hemoglobin level and a blood group. Unfortunately, the laboratory section to do the test was closed. We checked everywhere in the laboratory section looking for the technicians but only laboratory equipment could be seen in the rooms and no one inside.
We were told by the patients that the laboratory technicians might be sleeping in one of the rooms. We checked, knocked on all the rooms in the laboratory section looking for the technicians but no one found them. We had to move up and down between the laboratory section and the Gynecology section looking for where to do the test but there was no help.
It’s until 5 A.M. the surgeon advised us to go to JMC to get a tube for putting the blood to be taken for analysis at JMC. After bringing the tube from JMC; we got the surgeon to do the operation. They took the blood sample from the patient, put it in the tube, took it back to JMC, and analysis was done.
Upon seeing the result of the test done at JMC, the surgeon and the doctor on duty told us that the patient needed blood. They asked us to go to the blood bank to get blood. It’s was 7 A.M, We went back to the laboratory section but still remained closed, and then we proceeded to National Blood Bank outside the hospital but unfortunately, it was also closed.
We went to JMC seeking blood. Unfortunately, they told us that they don’t have and we had to go back to Juba Teaching Hospital. We came back to Juba Teaching Hospital waited for the laboratory section to open. The surgeon moved the patient out of the theatre and took her to the ward.
At 9 A.M the laboratory section opened. We took the result of a test done at JMC in order to get a blood laboratory section. Unfortunately, the laboratory section technicians rejected the result done by JMC and demanded to do their own test. They gave us the tube. We took it to the Gynecology section and they took the blood sample from the patient. We brought it back to the laboratory section but still, they rejected the sample claiming that the blood might have been mixed with drip and couldn’t give accurate results.
So I started to quarrel with them asking what could I do as someone who has a patient after doing everything you asked to do. Upon hearing my voice, a man came who seemed to be a senior in the laboratory section took me up to another laboratory room.
He said that they have blood and asked me to call for people who could donate blood so that they give us the blood they have in the fridge. My relatives and friends were not far from me.
About 7 people lined up to donate but Unfortunately in the process of testing donors, a call reached me at 10: 30 A.M that she passed away of hypovolemic shock due to blood loss.
My Painful takeaways:
- The doctor on night duty was very arrogant and instead blaming me why I couldn’t find laboratory section opened. If I asked him to come with me or send a nurse with me to laboratory section still he could say it’s not within his responsibility.
- The laboratory section technicians that couldn’t be found yet they’re on night duty.
- The surgeon who hurriedly did operation without ensuring the level of blood and availability of blood to be donated in case of need.
- Unprofessional behaviour of officers/personnel on duty. Some were even asking behind of the identity of the patient which was unfortunate.
If I could blame anyone, first, there was negligence in the process from the doctor on night duty, laboratory section, surgeon, the nurses/midwives. If there could be a speedy process, she could have been saved.
Secondly, the poor health system in the country, the management of the hospital because there’s no even someone superior supervising the work at the night.
I could see most of the doctors on night duty were trainees. Behind me, I could even hear people complaining about not getting motivated to work at night.
Lastly, I came to believe that God planned for it to happen in such a manner. May her precious Soul Rest in Peace.
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