There was commotion at Thyolo District Hospital Friday when a mentally unstable woman was allegedly suspected to have tried to steal a newborn child at the maternity ward.

Scores of people came to witness what had happened only to be told the woman was mentally unstable.

The woman, Sylvia Phiri nee Dayton went to the hospital to deliver. However the nurse on duty instantly sensed an abnormality when the woman insisted she was due to deliver despite failing the pregnancy test.

The nurse referred Phiri to under-five clinic where she was to meet another nurse to assess her situation and try to explain to her that she was not pregnant.

Hospital Administrator, Bright Ndaonavino told the Malawi News Agency that Phiri mistakenly entered the maternity ward with all her belongings which she had brought for delivery upon which someone in the ward raised the alarm that she was stealing a baby.

“After the alarm was raised we conducted a search but we found out that she had not stolen a baby,” said Ndaonavino.

He added; “We have not established who started to scream and why but after cross examining her we concluded that she was mentally challenged.

“The woman confidently told us that she was due to deliver so we referred her to the psychiatrists who verified our observation.”

Mercy Phiri, sister to Sylvia disclosed that her sister was going through a heart break following the annulment of her marriage in court on June 5, 2015.

Mercy said her sister has not slept for close to 2 weeks. She was given prescription on her release from the hospital premises where she was being kept for her own safety.