THE family of an 11-month-old girl has threatened to sue the ministry of health after their daughter sustained an injury to her left arm at the Swakopmund State Hospital.
Anna-Liisa Hamunyela told The Namibian yesterday that she took her niece, Maano Shihepo, to the Arandis clinic on 15 April with fever and bouts of vomiting.
Shihepo was discharged the same day, but continued to be feverish. Hamunyela took her back to the clinic the following day.
They then transferred her to the Swakopmund State Hospital.
“When we arrived at the casualty department, nurses wanted to put her on a drip. Each one was looking for a vein (to insert the drip needle) in each arm,” said Hamunyela, adding that her niece was then wearing a jersey.
“They inserted the needle in the right arm. The nurse on the left then pulled the left sleeve of the jersey down, forgetting to remove the ‘tourniquet’ (a rubber band to apply pressure to a limb to limit – but not stop – the flow of blood) around that arm,” she explained. Hamunyela added that Shihepo had cried throughout the night. The next day, when she was taken for an X-ray, the rubber band was discovered when they undressed her.
“Her arm had turned dark, swollen and hard. The person on duty sent me to the nurses who had been attending to us. The doctor said the solution is to elevate the baby’s arm. The situation did not change, and she continued to cry in pain.
“I went to a nurse who was sleeping, and woke her up for some some pain medication. She told me to bring a trolley to her, and gave me Panado. It didn’t help. She said she was tired, and continued resting,” Hamunyela stated.
After a few days, the hospital staff had Shihepo’s arm cut open for the blood to flow. She was then kept at the hospital until 11 May. Hamunyela said no one was telling her why her niece’s arm was damaged. She added that Erongo health director Amir Shaker was helpful at first, but did not follow up on the case.
“Although the arm can move, she does not have control of it. She also does not use her hands,” said Hamunyela.
The family then approached NamRights for advice.
Contacted for comment, Shaker said Shihepo was very sick when she was admitted at the state hospital because she was severely dehydrated, and needed a drip for fluids to save her life.
He suggested the arm’s blood circulation was hampered, hence the cuts as a medical procedure to stimulate blood flow.
“She stayed here [hospital] for a month to get better. Now they request an investigation. We tried to save the child’s life, and now they are blaming us?” asked Shaker rhetorically.
He said he tried to stay in touch with the family, but they could not come to Swakopmund as they live at Arandis and did not want to pay for transport, expecting the hospital to foot that bill. The family also allegedly threatened him with consequences.
“We are trying to help. We saved the baby’s life when she was admitted. Our intention is not to harm or kill,” he said.
He will stop by at Arandis soon, and ask the family to bring the child to the Arandis clinic, where he can evaluate her situation, Shaker added.
NamRights executive director Phil ya Nangoloh told The Namibian yesterday that based on the family’s version of events, the hospital is guilty of “gross negligence and gross medical malpractice”.
“We will look into the matter and assist the family to sue the hospital, if necessary,” he said.
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