Tamanji Immanuella Angwi, a midwife herself, who would have been the happy mother of triplets, is now drowning in sorrow.
“I am a midwife by profession, and I have been practicing for more than 5 years. I was pregnant with triplets and had been regularly going to the hospital for checkups,” Angwi told MMI.
She is accusing the Bamenda Regional Hospital of negligence and incompetence that led to the deaths of her twin sons.
“I am hurt and inconsolable. The negligence and incompetence of the doctors and nurses of the Regional Hospital have succeeded in killing my babies,” Angwi said.
Angwi, who had been followed regularly by the hospital throughout her pregnancy with triplets, says her ordeal began on March 24, 2024, when her water broke at 12:15 am. Despite informing her gynaecologist, a sonogram was not performed, and her pleas about the lack of foetal movement were allegedly dismissed by medical staff.
“The membrane ruptured at 2:15 am, and at 6:45 am, I was at the hospital,” she said.
An ultrasound conducted two days later revealed a complete absence of amniotic fluid in one of the sacs. Angwi’s request for a C-section was reportedly rejected by her gynaecologist, who cited similar cases where babies remained in the womb for up to 35 weeks.
“On Monday, I requested CS due to decreased foetal movement (one of the danger signs in pregnancy) and on Tuesday I emphasized my babies were no longer moving and demanded they should be removed, although foetal heart rate was good, as indicated by ultrasound,” stated Angwi.
On March 27, Angwi developed a fever, prompting an emergency C-section due to chorionamnionitis, an infection of the placenta and amniotic fluid. This condition, Angwi alleges, stemmed from the prolonged leaking sac. The twin boys, delivered with sepsis and severe asphyxia, did not survive.
“Both boys came out with sepsis/severe asphyxia since they were in the same sac that got burst. Unfortunately they did not make it. They were denied a chance at life,” she said.
Angwi’s surviving baby girl is in the neonatal intensive care unit, being monitored for prematurity. The grieving mother has yet to see her gynaecologist since the delivery.
While the cause of death will need to be confirmed by a medical examiner, Angwi’s story sheds light on a serious issue of alleged negligence within the healthcare system. Angwi is seeking justice and hopes that her story reaches the Minister of Public Health to raise awareness about the lack of care she experienced.
Regional Hospital Responds:
The Bamenda Regional Hospital, contacted by MMI for comment, provided a different perspective on the events. According to the hospital’s Communications Unit, a meeting was held on Friday with Angwi, the director, specialists, and her gynaecologist. The doctor reportedly explained the protocol followed throughout her pregnancy.
The hospital maintains that due to Angwi’s premature rupture of membranes at 29 weeks, the aim was to prolong the pregnancy to allow the triplets to mature and increase their weight for a safer delivery. They acknowledge that Angwi requested a C-section earlier, but the medical team opted to prioritize fetal development based on healthy heartbeats observed during checkups.
“She had these triplets and went into premature rupture of membranes at 29 weeks and so since the babies were really premature, the aim of the gynecologists was to try and mature the triplets so that at least when they come out they should have some weight and easy to handle. You know it’s very delicate handling premature babies talk less of premature triplets, is not easy,” the hospital said.
But Angwi contests that the level of care she expected was not provided.
“While in the hospital, my babies’ lungs were not being matured as it had been done on the 10 th of March 10, 2024 (feotal lung maturation),” Angwi told MMI.
The Communications Unit further clarifies that an Amnionitis infection necessitated the emergency C-section, a procedure they claim would not have been required had the infection not developed. They maintain that all decisions were communicated to Angwi during the Friday meeting.
“It is true that she requested a CS before but the multidisciplinary team looked at the possibility of managing premature triplets and also during her follow up the team realized their heartbeats were very ok and they sought to rather mature the babies for better management when they come out. If the infection (Amnionitis) didn’t set in, there wouldn’t have been any problem. All this was put before her again on Friday,” the hospital further explained.
While Angwi grieves the loss of her twins, the surviving baby shows promising signs. Angwi is expressing breast milk which is being fed to the baby through a tube, and the baby’s weight has increased from 950 grammes to over 1 kilogramme. The hospital’s focus remains on the survival of the remaining baby.
“She is still with us and the other baby is in the incubator and she is expressing breast milk and feeding the baby through the tube. The baby’s weight went to 950grams on Monday and as of today, it has gone up to more than 1kg. We are hoping that the pediatricians will do their best so that the baby makes it. So our team is paying attention to have this baby survive. The gynecologists only wanted the best for her. No one wished otherwise,” they said.
The hospital maintains that their team acted in Angwi’s best interests and that the priority was ensuring the best possible outcome for all three babies.
“No mother ought to experience what I am going through,” Angwi said.
Meanwhile, the hospital did not respond to our question on what type of postnatal mental health and psychological support, if any, was being provided to Angwi. They also did not explain why Angwi’s wishes for an earlier CS were not prioritised over those of the other medical professionals.
