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Mater Hospital told to pay woman Sh2.4m for punctured uterus


A woman who suffered a perforated uterus and intestine while undergoing treatment at a city hospital has been awarded Sh2.4 million as compensation for medical negligence.

Ms Betty Wakio won the Sh2,421,400 award against Mater Hospital in a verdict given by Senior Resident Magistrate Peter Muholi.

Ms Wakio had told the court she suffered a miscarriage before being admitted to the hospital. Mater had defended itself saying she had attempted to abort.

ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR

But, in his ruling, the magistrate dismissed the hospital’s claim, saying it had admitted having attempted to repair her perforated organs while treating her.

“The totality of the evidence adduced, therefore, leads me to conclude that the agents or employees of Mater Hospital handled Ms Wakio in a negligent manner,” ruled Mr Muholi.

Ms Wakio told the court that her troubles started when she was pregnant. She visited Kenyatta National Hospital on September 13, 2013, where a gynecologist advised her to go to Mater hospital.

At Mater, a scan showed that she had suffered a miscarriage. She was then admitted until September 18, 2013 while doctors tried to repair her uterus and intestine.

Three days after being discharged, she experienced pains and sought medical attention at Metropolitan Hospital. The pains were to recur on June 12, 2014, and she noticed some discharge.

Subsequent tests revealed a condition in her pelvis which required another surgery and visits to hospital.

Ms Wakio claimed that she has since developed fertility problems from her treatment at Mater Hospital and that the only way she can conceive is through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).

REQUIRE FIFTH SURGERY

She also claimed that she has fistula and will require a fifth surgery. She blamed all the complications on the handling at Mater Hospital.

However, in its defence, Mater insisted that it had given her proper treatment all through the 13 times she visited the facility in 2013.

The hospital, nonetheless, admitted that complications arose when she underwent surgery at their facility and that her uterus was not perforated as a result of the pregnancy.

While awarding her the compensation, the magistrate said Ms Wakio had to undergo painful and inconvenient surgeries in an attempt to correct Mater Hospital’s negligence.

“From the evidence tendered by Ms Wakio and corroborated by a medical practitioner specialising in gynaecology and fertility issues, it is clear that the treatment accorded to her fell below the standard of a reasonable healthcare provider.”