“I almost died,” Zoleka Touros (24) says from her hospital bed at Omaruru State Hospital in the Erongo region.
Touros gave birth to twins on 9 August.
The first twin was a stillbirth and the second is currently fighting for his life in hospital.
Touros says she did not know she was expecting twins.
She claims the nurse on duty at Uis Clinic, where she initially went to give birth, refused to take instructions from the doctor on duty on how to perform a breech delivery.
As a result, she had to be transported to Omaruru, 120km from Uis, by gravel road while in labour.
“My water broke around 13h00 at home at Uis. We went to the clinic around 17h00. The nurse examined me and found I was 8cm dilated. She looked at my passport and noticed I’m carrying a breech baby.
“She called the doctor and told him she is not comfortable to do a breech delivery. The doctor said let’s make a video call so I guide you through the process. But the nurse maintained she was not comfortable to do so,” Touros says.
She says Omaruru State Hospital then sent an ambulance to pick her up, which arrived around 19h00 while she experienced heavy labour pains.
The patient was reportedly transported on her hands and knees with no explanation for the position.
One leg and the umbilical cord of one of her babies started protruding from her while being transported, Touros says.
“We arrived at Omaruru and they removed the baby, but he was dead. The staff started preparing to take me to a room when a nurse came by and felt my stomach.”
Touros says the nurse then realised she was carrying a second baby.
“The sonar did not show two babies, but I went into labour again and the second baby was born alive,” she says.
He, however, weighs about 1.3kg and is currently in an incubator until he reaches a weight of between 2.5kg and 2.7kg.
“Me and my boyfriend are both unemployed, but were told to buy milk that costs over N$500 to help the child. He is being fed through a tube in his nose,” she says.
This was Touros’ first pregnancy.
“I am currently writing a report to make a police case and sue the Ministry of Health and Social Services. My child would have lived if the nurse had assisted me in the manner the doctor wanted her to.
“But she was very stubborn and put me and my children’s lives at risk. I almost died as well. And look what both my boys endured.
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‘I HAVE TO BE STRONG’
“But I can’t cry and be emotional. When I think about these things I feel like I can go crazy or collapse. But I can’t. “I have to be strong for my son and feed him and help him become strong, so he can live. The father already buried the other one alone and has not seen the second one. He himself is going through trauma,” Touros says.
Armando Gurirab (27), the father of the twins, says he is still in shock.
He claims it is the norm that clinic visitors do not receive assistance on time. “This clinic faces a critical medicine shortage, there are no rotational doctors visiting, and the locals have to wait for services to be provided from Omaruru hospital,” he says.
“I had to bury my son without Zoleka.”
‘NOT AWARE’
Erongo regional health director Anna Jonas says she is not aware of the incident.
“I unfortunately cannot speak on a matter I did not receive a report on. I am unaware of this matter. Please give me time to follow up and get back to you,” she says.
Omaruru hospital acting superintendent Beata Ashipala says she is not at liberty to comment.
“Please call the regional director. She will be able to answer all your questions as we’ve given her a report,” she says.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
