Woman Sues Health Minister, Hospital For Negligence

Ms Patience Chikahamadze (28) whose daughter had her right arm amputated at Gwanda Provincial Hospital following a botched medical procedure is suing the hospital and the Minister of Health and Child Care Obadiah Moyo for $300 000. 

The three year-old girl, who was a month old at the time, had her arm amputated after nurses at Gwanda Provincial Hospital allegedly mutilated it while trying to insert an intravenous (IV) cannula. Gangrene had set in on the girl’s arm and it had to be surgically removed at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).Chikahamadze is seeking an order directing the defendants to compensate her daughter, Andile Galaweni, $300 000 in damages for medical bills incurred, permanent disability, pain and suffering she endured.

The woman says her baby was admitted for routine observation on July 29, 2016, after she was said to be dehydrated. She says the doctor tried to insert the IV cannula and failed resulting in the child being admitted.  One of the nurses tried to insert the cannula but could not locate a vein to put a drip. The sister-in-charge tried several times until she managed to insert the drip on the child’s right hand. After the first drip, it was noticed that the second drip was not getting into the system and it was removed. She says the IV cannula was however, not removed for more than a week. The IV cannula was only removed after her daughter started experiencing pain and swelling on her arm.