A preliminary investigation of a case in which a baby died before birth while under the care of nurses at the Onandjokwe hospital is still incomplete, executive director of the health ministry Ben Nangombe has said.

It is alleged that none of the nurses at the Onandjokwe hospital attended to Ndatyooli Hamunyela (27) while she was experiencing labour contractions since arriving at the facility last Friday at about 23h00. The baby was full term but died in her womb two days later and was removed via caesarean section on Monday.

Hamunyela narrated to New Era that she was informed there was not enough resources to assist her and that the baby was “too big” to be delivered naturally.

She was further told to wait for the baby to be delivered by caesarean section. 

“I went to the hospital on Friday, but they only took me to the sonar on Sunday. That was when I was told that my baby had died. I cried a lot. I felt so bad that I have lost my first baby – my first baby. I cannot believe that my baby had died in the womb while he had a chance to live,” a sobbing Hamunyela told New Era. 

She said she was in pain the whole of Friday and Saturday and was only given pain medication. 

Hamunyela said her baby was moving in the womb when she arrived at the hospital but the movement kept fading as days passed until there was no more movement. 

“On Sunday morning, I called a nurse to tell her I felt a massive movement once, but then it stopped,” she said. 

The nurse took her for sonar examination and that was when she was informed the baby was no longer alive. 

Onandjokwe medical superintended Dr Akutu Munyika confirmed the incident but was unable to provide further information before going to print.