Ssebatta Mayanja, a resident of Kingo sub-county in Masaka district, has threatened to sue Masaka Hospital over the death of his son.
Mayanja claims that delays in attending to his wife during delivery and negligence on the part of the medical authorities caused the death of his son. He explains that when his wife, Annet Nalumaga, was due for labour, there was no doctor at the hospital and only two midwives were available to attend to her.
Mayanja says the problem was compounded by the fact that the baby was delivered through a breech birth and the midwives lacked the knowledge of how to deal with the birth. He claims that in an attempt to save his wife's life, the midwives severed the baby's head from the rest of its body.
Breech birth, also known as breech presentation, refers to the position of a baby in the womb, such that it is delivered bottom or feet first, as opposed to the normal head first position. Several complications including head entrapment, oxygen deprivation and injury to the baby's brain and skull may occur during a breech birth. However with early expert intervention there is a small possibility of serious complications or even death.
Mayanja says the drastic action taken during his son's birth was unnecessary. He says Nalumaga has had 4 previous deliveries by cesarean section, a fact that the midwives were aware of and should have considered when delivering his baby.
The Masaka Hospital acting Medical Superintendent, Dr. Francis Mulwanyi, says the incident was unfortunate, but was necessary to save Nalumaga's life.
