The administrator of the James N. Davis, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Neezoe community, Paynesville, is under immense pressure for the death of a pregnant woman who went to give birth at the hospital, blaming the institution for negligence. Â
By Emmanuel wise Jipoh
Paynesville, Liberia, March 26, 2024 – The James N. Davis, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Neezoe community, Paynesville, has been accused of the death of pregnant who went to give birth at the hospital, which members attributed to wrongful medication and poor attention.
The victim, identified as 36-year-old Arthani Garmai Bernard, allegedly died alongside her unborn baby stuck in her womb when the pregnancy water bag burst into her.
The deceased was a resident of Redlight, Paynesville, and had been admitted at the James N. Davis, Jr., Memorial Hospital for delivery.
The deceased’s Sister-In-Law, Weedor Aku Bernard, narrates that last week, Thursday, 21st March 2024, the late Mrs. Arthani Garmai Bennard was taken to the hospital with no medical complication as she had gone for her usual pregnancy check-up.
But she notes that, unfortunately, due to alleged carelessness by the doctor on duty, she died while conversing.
She says nurses who had hurriedly ran in to help save her life, mistakenly applied wrong medication.
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“My sister died bleeding while she was giving birth, and there was no doctor to cater to her; she left conversing and bled to death without the baby coming from her womb. This is saddening for us as a family, and James Davis Hospital must pay for it, she laments.
The incident has triggered a fresh wave of public scrutiny into mounting risks faced by patients and healthcare compromises in health facilities across the country.
The James N. Davis, Jr. Memorial Hospital (JDJ) was previously operated by Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF), catering to health emergency needs of women and children, but is now being run by the Government of Liberia.
Sonnie Morris, a 25-year-old pregnant girl from Bong County, died in 2021 at the J.D.J. hospital while on the verge of birth.
She was in severe labor pain that led to surgical operation during which she similarly died along with her unborn baby.
Meanwhile, death certificate in the possession of this paper issued under the signatory of Mr. Stennett Flemming, a medical doctor at the (JDJ) hospital with license no. 433-00, established the cause of death as unknown, which has prompted family’s reaction that poor care or attention from nurses caused the death of their daughter.
When the James N. Davis Jr. Memorial Hospital was contacted on the allegation, Hospital Administration, Mr. Meshach G. Karmo, told the New Dawn that the death certificate issued to the family by the hospital wasn’t signed by the Head Doctor, who was not present at the time of the incident.
Mr. Karmo argued the Death Certificate was hastily signed by Clinician Stennett Flemming after the serious commotion at the hospital by the family of the deceased, and that is why the cause of death was not stated.
However, he said the Ministry of Health, under the supervision of the hospital, is pursuing the deceased’s family for discussion on the matter. Editing by Jonathan Browne
