Woman with cotton wool in her womb accuses hospital of negligence

Jane Kageni Mureithi, a teacher in a Meru school at her Thika home where she is recovering. [Kamau Maichuhie/Standard]

Jane Kageni Mureithi vividly remembers August 26, 2018 when she walked into one of the leading private hospitals in Nairobi for surgery.

Ms Mureithi was certain of having access to the best medical services in the country.

One of the gynecologists at the prestigious hospital performed surgery on her to remove fibroids, which had been affecting her for some time.

However, things took a tragic turn shortly after the operation when the 49-year-old Deputy Principal in a Meru school started to experience some new complications.

She started to grapple with unrelenting headaches and severe chest complications a thing that kept her worried.

As the headaches and chest complications persisted, Ms Muriethi told The Standard that she decided to seek further medical examination.

“After about nine days of severe pain and serious chest complications, I decided to seek medical examination from another doctor in another hospital in Nairobi who after carrying several scans found the decomposing 10 centimeter piece of cotton wool in my womb. I was admitted in hospital for over five days and had to part with an extra Sh450,000 for another operation,” she said.

She said the cotton wool which had already started to decompose in her womb was causing severe blood infection and clots in her lungs.

Ms Mureithi who is currently recuperating at her Thika home after another operation in a Nairobi Hospital early this month to remove the cotton said life for her for the last one month has been a living hell.

“Life has been so difficult for me since I have been experiencing unending headaches and severe chest complication. I cannot sit down, sleep or eat and have to take strong pain killers to remain sane for even a few minutes”, she said.

The teacher told the Standard that the condition had reduced her to a pale shadow of her former self since she can no longer do anything on her own and has to depend on her husband for everything.

The distraught mother of three blamed the hospital in question as it had not followed up on her case even after they spent a whooping Sh400,000 in the botched operation.

“My husband has tried to follow up with the hospital on numerous occasions but no assistance has been forthcoming. The hospital matron only told him that the gynecologist who operated me had serious domestic issues at the time of the operation,” cried Kageni.

Medical records from a team of doctors currently attending to the patient revealed she is currently on strong prescription, meant to fight the blood infection and diffuse the clots that are lodged in her lungs as captured in the scans.

Her husband Mureithi Kaara said their life has been greatly affected by the unexpected turn of events since his wife now requires constant medical care. “I can only say that my wife survived by the grace of God. It is our hope that once her current treatment is over, the complications she now has will be completely healed,” he said.

Mr Mureithi pleaded with doctors to always realise that they are dealing with human lives adding that some negligence and carelessness being witnessed in the medical profession can be avoided.

The hospital matron said she was not permitted to talk to the media but confirmed they were talking to the family and were willing to engage them after consulting their lawyers.