The family of a Rusape man who died following an apparently bungled Covid-19 test at the hospital has accused the doctor who attended to him of negligence.

Even worse, the Mapiye family learned of the death of their relative, Arnold Mapiye, through social media platforms.

The 47-year-old, who was professionally known as DJ Bhinya-Bhinya, died at Rusape General Hospital where he had gone for a Covid-19 test. The Manica Post reports that during the test, something went wrong and a swab remained lodged in Mapiye’s nose.

The DJ was rushed to the operating room for the swab to be removed. Unfortunately, he is reported to have died during the process. The manner of Mapiye’s death has raised eyebrows with his grief-stricken relatives who allege that he was a victim of negligence by the medical personnel involved.

Mapiye’s brother, Bezel Rusere told the Manica Post,

“He was a victim of negligence. There is nothing more painful than losing someone young and dear to the heart in this manner. The family is drowned in a torrent of agonising pain,”

Rusere was highly critical of the doctor who was in charge of the procedure and described him as not being professional in his conduct during what was supposed to be a routine issue.

“My brother just wanted to have a Covid-19 test. His condition was not serious. When they performed a Covid-19 test on him, a swab remained in his nose and a decision was made to perform an operation to remove it with the consent of his wife. An anaesthetic injection was administered on him as part of the procedure, and we suspect he passed on during the process.

“The doctor left the patient in the theatre and went out to attend to other errands. He only returned after some nurses had raised alarm. When we tried to engage the doctor on what had happened, he was non-committal. He appeared confused. We hold it that Arnold died as a result of his negligence,” said Mr Rusere.

He also castigated people who rush to shares news of deaths on social media without any verification.

Makoni District Medical Officer, Dr Tendai Nyafesa said he could not comment as the matter is still under investigation. However, he urged patients not to shun the hospital because of the incident, saying the institution is staffed by caring professionals.