CITIZENS COMPASS – Anxiety has gripped many patients and workers of a government hospital in Ilofia, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State following the sudden disappearance of the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn baby in the area.
The umbilical cord and placenta were said to be that of a baby belonging to one Mrs Williams C.B.A before it suddenly disappeared on Sunday.
Kwara State Police Command has arrested five health workers in connection with the matter.
They are being interrogated by the Investigation Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department, of the State Police Command in Ilorin after their arrests on Thursday.
They are; Nurse Rukayat Adeloye, Nurse Aishat Awolusi, Nurse Peace Alabi, Ward Attendant Toyin Adewunmi, and Doctor Ajibola.
It was gathered that it was when efforts to settle the controversy at various layers of hierarchies in the local government failed, that prompted the matter to be transferred to the state headquarters of police command Ilorin for final intervention.
It was learned that it took spirited efforts of elders of the Odo-Owa community to calm the fray nerves of restive youths who suspected foul play and were about to burn down the hospital on Tuesday over the incident.
According to the mother of the newly born, she was admitted to the hospital on Sunday having fallen into labour.
The English Language teacher in Orofa High School, Odo-Owa, said, “I got to the Cottage hospital some minutes past 1p.m. on Sunday and told Nurse Adeloye I met in duty, that I was having contractions, she was the one that attended to me after confirming that I was truly in labour.
“She took me into the labour room and asked me to wait because I still had more time. Not quite long after I came, when the Doctor also came in. At about some minutes to 5 p.m., the Doctor asked the Nurse to usher me into the labour room again because he wanted to check how close the baby was.
“He then asked that a drip be fixed on me, and at about some minutes past 6 p.m., the labour started and I delivered the baby around some minutes to 7 p.m.
“Three women were present, two of which were nurses while one was a Ward Attendant.
“In the course of the delivery, it was one Nurse Alabi and Nurse Adeloye, and the Ward Attendant identified as Mrs Toyin that took the delivery and those were the three people present.
““Lest I forget, there were two missing items inside the nylon; the Umbilical cord and the placenta.
“Also, while they were taking the delivery, a particular woman came and said that she was supposed to be on duty that day, that she took permission that she wanted to travel, and that she was just returning.
She was also there during the delivery, which makes the number of those present to be four women in all. She was also later invited by the police.
“Later the Doctor joined them, he was not fully involved; he was just coming and going; the delivery was not done in his presence.
“Nurse Alabi who took the delivery was the one who took the Umbilical cord and the placenta and dropped them inside a nylon that has the inscription name of the hospital and then dropped the nylon inside a carton placed right beside the delivery couch.
“As soon as that was done, they cleaned the baby and myself up and Nurse Adeloye ushered me into the main ward. The baby was placed beside me and I wasn’t feeling too well.
“Not long after that, Mrs. Toyin brought in my belongings from the labour room which were two bags and placed them beside the bed.
“I didn’t ask her about the contents of the bags because I thought the nylon of the placenta and the Umbilical cord was included in one of my bags. “Very early the following morning when I woke up I remembered the placenta, when I looked around I didn’t see any of the Nurses that attended to me, probably they had gone home.
“When I discovered that the placenta was missing, I called a particular woman, also a ward maid but not among those who took my delivery in the night shift.
“When I told her, she said Haaa that we should go together to the labour room which we did. When we got there the nylon inside which the placenta was kept was no longer there, likewise the carton too.
“So, I became very worried and asked her where I could get those that took my delivery the previous night. She called the Ward attendant, Mrs Toyin, who told her that she would be on her way soon.
“I waited so long and when I didn’t see any of them, I started walking around the hospital. Maybe I might just see any of them.
“But later, I saw Nurse Alabi, the very one that took my delivery. I saw her coming out of the labor room, and I approached her that I needed to speak with her, she said she was busy and just walked past me to the ward.
”I realised that they were trying to avoid me because I stood there for over five minutes and she didn’t come back to attend to me.
“At this point, I took it up and decided to wait for the doctor for a placenta that was discovered missing around 6 am, and no response from anyone till around 10 am.
“I sat in front of the hospital waiting for the doctor because I wanted to
ensure that he didn’t talk to any before I engaged him.
“The Doctor now invited me to his office, when I got there, he and the matron were there. He now told me and I quote
“Madam, there’s a big mess now that we need to find a solution to.” I said what has happened? That was when he told me that those staff who were on duty last night said that they misplaced the placenta and that the reason why he summoned me was to plead for a little time to look around for it. And I said how is that possible? How can you tell me. that a whole placenta is missing.?That was when I went back to the ward. Later people who were around said that they saw the Doctor checking a particular pit beside the hospital where they used to dump refuse and that he was searching for something there, I guess according to what people were saying that was what they were searching for.
“Later when I couldn’t get any response from the doctor, somebody came to hint to me from inside that the doctor and some of the nurses all went out, as at that time people were already urging me that I should not take this matter easy that something has gone wrong. At that point, I called my boss at work, to tell him what happened. It was at my
place of work that somebody called me that the staff of Cottage Hospital was at my place of work and that they came to explain something to my boss. Later my boss called me that they would be on their way soon.
“I waited for them because I didn’t want to take any action until their arrival. My initial thought was that those people had gone to the police station to report themselves and people have been urging me to go and report first at the police station so that they would not outsmart me.
“So, two of. my bosses came to the hospital, and the doctor too with other staff.
““My boss told me that they came to explain certain things to him and that was why he came to the hospital to engage them. By now people were already gathering and I went inside to meet the doctor what was really happening? Then some of their staff started telling me that they were sorry
that there was a mistake that the attendant said she had already thrown the placenta inside a pit and that they were unable to find it that the only thing they were able to retrieve was the nylon inside which the placenta was kept, that it’s like it has been eaten up by a dog or something. That was When I flared up with some members of my church who were also present that it’s not possible that they just have to present the placenta.
““By now people have gathered, and the staff are now appealing to me. but there’s this particular Nurse who was around on Monday when we were searching for the placenta and in anger said that a mistake has happened and that there’s nothing they could do about it, that mistakes are bound to happen, that you people can do whatever you want to do, that we have tried and explained to you enough. You people can go and do whatever you want to do. It was at this point that everyone got angry and we drove to the police station in Iloffa to make a report.
“Immediately we did that, a police officer was assigned to us. So, the doctor, the nurses, and other staff involved were invited for interrogation.
Later my father came to the police station and gave them the opportunity that if any of. they want to confess that she they should do so or admit that he or she is responsible for the missing placenta so that the matter would be resolved at the police station in Iloffa. But throughout Tuesday, we didn’t hear anything from them so we returned to the police station on Wednesday morning and met them behind the counter at the police station. Then that was when an order came from above that the matter should be transferred to Ilorin.”
Speaking, the grandfather to the newly born, Mr Rufus Santa, said that he suspected foul play.
“I suspect foul play. How could an umbilical cord and the placenta of a new baby be missing when we all know the implications? I urge the police to do a thorough investigation and unravel the mystery behind this disappearance. That is only when justice would be said to have been served and we would be at peace with ourselves.” he said.
Contacted, the Spokesperson of Kwara State Police Command, Ejire Adeyemi Toun confirmed the incident, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
—Saturday Vanguard
