MUM TRAVELS OVER 90KM AFTER C-SECTION, BLEEDS, DIES

MBABANE – A new mum bled to death after moving from one hospital to another, in need of assistance.

*Lulu, who is said to have originally been from Siphofaneni and Sithobela, is said to have given birth at the Mankayane Hospital. She is said to have undergone a cesarean section, also known as a C-section. Cesarean section birth is the surgical delivery of a baby through a cut or incision made in the birth parent’s abdomen and uterus. Healthcare providers use it when they believe it’s safer for the birth parent, the baby or both.

However, it was gathered that she continued to bleed after the surgery. This publication gathered that Lulu was a 17-year-old girl. Noteworthy, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one of the leading causes of death in mothers who have just given birth is ‘bleeding’, also referred to as postpartum haemorrhage.

Blood

According to the information gathered, Lulu is said to have returned to the Mankayane Hospital during the first week of October 2024, about a day after giving birth. It was gathered that the bleeding due to the C-section could not stop and that she was losing blood. She is said to have been using public transport.

*Jabha, a relative, revealed that when Lulu arrived at the hospital, she was told that she could not be assisted.
“She had lost a lot of blood, and they told her they did not have any blood to give her,” said the relative. Jabha said that upon noticing that she could not get assistance, Lulu had to board another public transport to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital in Manzini.

“At this point, she was already weak as they had not given her any medication at all at Mankayane Hospital. So I believe the non-stop bleeding was taking a toll on her body,” said Jabha.

Surgery

Upon arrival at RFM, she was allegedly attended to by a doctor who also could not assist, as he allegedly advised that she needed to go into surgery again. Still, the theatre at the RFM was not functioning. After realising that she could not be assisted at the RFM hospital in Manzini, she had to travel to the Mbabane Government Hospital to be assisted, still using public transport.

However, information gathered from healthcare workers at Mbabane Government Hospital, who asked to remain anonymous, was that it was already too late when she arrived. “She had lost a lot of blood. She was so weak that the doctor certified her dead a few minutes after arrival,” said the healthcare worker.

Speaking about the incident, a medical doctor wondered why the hospital in Mankayane was not able to assist her, especially since they had been able to carry out a C-section. The official said women who undergo C-sections should be monitored even when they are discharged.

Bleeding

The doctor said the woman should not have been allowed to leave the Mankayane Hospital in her state, primarily due to the report that she was still bleeding. The bleeding is said to have resulted in the loss of blood, eventually leading to her death. Calculating the distance travelled by the bleeding woman from Mankayane to Manzini and finally to Mbabane, the late Lulu travelled over 95 kilometres in search of medical assistance.

Assisted

Previously, this publication had received concerns from members of the public in the constituencies surrounding Mankayane, that another hospital was needed to ensure that women, in particular, were assisted without having to travel far. Other than Mankayane, the nearest significant hospitals are RFM and Mbabane.

Noteworthy, in neighbouring South Africa (SA), women who have undergone C-sections get prioritised treatment. Several measures are reportedly in place to ensure that mothers who have undergone C-sections are promptly assisted upon their return to hospitals if complications or concerns arise. Critical approaches include structured post-natal care, improved communication channels and national healthcare guidelines focused on maternal and postoperative care.

Meanwhile, according to an article published by the Times of Eswatini in 2023, over 6 000 pregnant women were flocking to RFM Hospital to deliver their babies, while at the same time, concerns over high mortality rate of the facility were raised.

Improvement

Just before the article was written, Members of Parliament (MPs) had called for the improvement of other clinics across the country to ease the pressure of pregnant women flocking to the RFM Hospital. MPs raised this issue during the Ministry of Health’s annual report debate.

The Manzini Region MP, while making her submissions, said there was a serious concern regarding the high number of women who died while giving birth. The article was published on March 20, 2023. According to a report published by the Times of Eswatini, in 2019, four women out of 5 780 who gave birth died. About 10 women out of 6 079 deliveries died in 2020. Out of 6 712 women who gave birth in 2021, 16 of them died while giving birth. In 2022, out 6 980 deliveries, 15 of them passed on.

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