A woman Bangwe Township in Blantyre has died from labor complications after the ambulance she was being ferried in to the hospital got stuck in traffic as it had no siren.
Dr. Mirriam Jere Nyasulu, District Medical Officer for Blantyre has confirmed the sad development saying the incident happened on 27th April as they were ferrying the woman to Queen Elizabeth Hospital from Bangwe clinic in the evening of the said day.
According to Dr. Nyasulu, the woman had delivered at home around 11 o’clock in the morning and was rushed to the hospital in the evening around 5 o’clock where guardians disclosed she was scared of being vaccinated against Covid 19 hence opted for home delivery.
“When she arrived at Bangwe clinic, nurses on duty assisted her and after noting that her condition was critical, they decided to refer her to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital but met heavy traffic between Limbe Township and the hospital, which delayed their journey,” explained Dr. Nyasulu in an interview.
Dr Nyasulu has also admitted that the ambulance had no siren or car horn something that made it difficult for the driver to maneuver and rush the lady to the hospital.
Sadly she died while still in transit way through the route.
Currently, Dr Nyasulu has disclosed that Blantyre DHO has ten functional ambulances, including those with minor faults catering to a population of about 1.5 million.
Meanwhile, Presidential adviser on safe motherhood, Dorothy Ngoma has described the incident as uncalled for saying the nation has let the woman down.
“In this day and time we shouldn’t be having such incidents due to circumstances that could have easily been prevented” said Ngoma in an interview.
She has since called on the need for collaborative efforts among medical personnel, authorities and communities in ensuring mothers are getting necessary assistance to curb maternal deaths.
