Thursday, October 31, 2024

Ndola hospital sued for negligence

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A NDOLA man has sued Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) and the attorney general for compensation and damages caused by the alleged negligence caused by NCH staff who swapped his baby with another after the man’s wife gave birth in January this year.

This is according to a writ of claim filed on Thursday in the Ndola High Court by Kennedy Kazeza of Broadway in Ndola, who has sued NCH as the first defendant and the attorney general as the second defendant for compensation after his baby was swapped by hospital staff.

Mr Kazeza has said in his claim that he wants compensation for damages caused by negligence.

He wants refund in the estimated sum of K22,155,000 and interest as well as costs and any other relief the court may deem fit.

The statement of claim reads that Mr Kazeza is the biological father of the baby swapped with another baby after his wife gave birth at the hospital on January 19 to a baby boy.

Mr Kazeza said due to the negligence of the NCH staff on duty, they gave a wrong child to his wife while his was given to another woman.

He said the hospital had up to now refused to disclose the name or names of the members of staff that handed over a wrong child.

Mr Kazeza said while he and his wife were HIV negative, their baby had tested positive for the antibodies of HIV as a result of having breastfed from an HIV-positive woman, the same named woman.

[Times of Zambia]

13 COMMENTS

  1. Both #1 and 2 you are right. now i’d love to hear how our inteligent Preseient would defend his government over such. I know some pipo wuld say it was just carelessness by the medical staff who were handling the case, but it all boils down to the fact that our hard working madical personel are overworked ans such disastrous mistakes will always happen

  2. As soon as a baby is born, a wrist band with the baby’s mother’s name is fastened to the baby. This has nothing to do with under-staffing but negligence. If the hospital does not have an identification policy, then hospital management are negligent. If the hospital has an ID policy but there is a shortage of materials to implement, then the government has to blame. If the materials are there, the guidelines and policy are in place but the nurse on the ground failed to apply them, then the nurses are negligent and should be disciplined. We must always distinguish between system failure and individual failure.

  3. #4 the saint, amano yobe yafulisha. You have said it all. the only problem is you put a halt to debate on this topic as no one can say anything else.

  4. Let them pay the demages. The amount claimed is too small. Not only goverment must pay, the culprits too must be jailed!

  5. This guy is very kind to the Govt. He should have capitalised this chance to get at the Govt by claiming enough money from this opportunity.
    I feel for the disgruntled Health personnel who may have been thinking of money for school fees or mealie meal such that they didnt notice the swapping of the babies

  6. Ther might be another take to this story. I have heard that some HIV positive parents to be are coniving with maternity ward staff to swap their new born babies with babies of HIV negative parents at a huge fee.

  7. Silly Mr Kazeze add one zero to that figure, that amount isn’t even enough to buy RBs suit for Mutharika’s wedding. Come on be serious for once.

  8. 22 million my foot. Can mr Kazeza CHANGE lawyers immediately. He should be claiming minimum a billion. Well said #11.

  9. People, where are you getting the idea that this family is suing for K22m. Is’nt the K22m a refund for whatever fees they may have paid. I gather the family is leaving it to the court to determine the final punitive damages. The key sentence is “He wants refund in the estimated sum of K22,155,000 and interest as well as costs and any other relief the court may deem fit”.

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