On Sunday, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, sent his condolences to the family of a young mother and her newborn who died after a cesarean delivery at the General Hospital in Ikot Ekpene.
This was said in a statement by the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem John.The story of the young woman, whose name is not yet known, became public after a video was shared on social media on Saturday.
In the video posted on Facebook, a crying woman who said she was the sister of the dead woman blamed the hospital for carelessness.
She claimed that no doctors were around and the operating room stayed closed for more than three hours while her sister was in my serious pain.
She added that doctors came only after it was too late and asked Governor Eno to investigate what happened.In the statement on Sunday, the Commissioner said the Governor asked him to quickly create a strong investigation team with medical and legal experts to find out what really happened and suggest ways to stop this from happening again.
Following the Governor’s order, the Commissioner said he and his team from the Health Ministry went to the hospital at 12:10 a.m. on Sunday to begin an early investigation and hear directly from those involved.
Dr. John said Governor Eno’s government is strongly committed to protecting the lives of mothers and children.
He explained that this is why the Governor had already made reducing the death of mothers during childbirth one of the main goals of his government.
The statement added that in recent months, the Governor has shown his commitment by improving hospitals, hiring trained medical staff, and making emergency services better.
The Health Ministry promised the public that the investigation will be fair and open, and if anyone is found guilty of carelessness, they will be punished according to government and professional rules.
They asked the public to stay calm and patient while the government works hard to find out the truth and improve care for mothers and babies in Akwa Ibom.
The government said the health and safety of everyone in Akwa Ibom is their top priority.
