Dr Pontient Ndabashinze, Director of Kamenge University Hospital (CHUK): “Of course, there was a mistake, that is, lack of communication between doctors”.
Earlier this week at a Bujumbura hospital, a baby born to a mother in a coma died after no doctors were available to help. Dr Pontient Ndabashinze, Director of Kamenge University Hospital, known as Roi Khaled, has told IWACU that the absence of doctors was due to “a lack of communication between doctors”
He admits there was a problem. “Of course, there was a mistake, that is, lack of communication between doctors. “There wouldn’t be a problem if the doctor scheduled to be on duty had said before that he wouldn’t be available. When such mistakes occur, those responsible must be punished”, says Ndabashinze.
“As the hospital has to be open twenty-four hours a day, specialists should always be there because we don’t know when a patient will come in. This situation won’t happen again if the doctors respect what we have agreed on”, he says.
Bazikamwe Sylivestre, head of gynecology, says however that the death of the baby was due to the state of the patient. “The baby died not because of the absence of the doctor but rather it was due to the state of the patient. The specialist’s delay was not the main cause of that death”, he says.
Apart from that, Bazikamwe told IWACU that they have another problem, that is, shortage of specialists. “Specialists are very few and this creates problems. The non specialist doctors are always there to help patients. Specialists are called on in serious situations. The only mistake committed was that the specialist was late”, Bazikamwe says.
On Wednesday night 28 June, a mother who had gone into a coma had a stillborn baby. The doctor who was expected to be on duty was not available. On Thursday, the nurses went on a two-hour strike in protest, showing the patients that they are not responsible of the death.
IWACU Open Data
