The Anambra state government has suspended a health worker, Mrs. Njideka Ezeihejiofor, for refusing to attend to a pregnant woman who delivered a stillborn baby outside the health facility.
The suspension was approved by the disciplinary panel chaired by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, after investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to reports, Ezeihejiofor, who is the Officer-in-Charge at Ukpo primary healthcare centre, claimed she turned back the pregnant patient due to fatigue.
However, the panel found that she refused to examine the pregnant woman or provide a referral letter when she visited the centre.
Appearing before the panel, Mrs. Njideka Ezeihejiofor said, “When the patient came in, she said she was about six-months pregnant and that she could no longer feel her baby kicking.
“I was tired after handling many health cases at the hospital. I decided to tell her to go to a higher health facility where she can better medical attention.
“Few minutes later, some persons ran to the health centre and said the pregnant woman just had a baby two poles away and I should come and attend to her. I refused because I was afraid,” she explaimed.
The Commissioner condemned her actions, noting that a retained placenta could have caused the woman to bleed to death. As a result, Ezeihejiofor has been demoted and suspended without pay, while the other staff in the centre will be queried.
In a similar incident, Mrs. Blessing Offor, the Officer-in-Charge of Uke Primary Healthcare Centre in Idemili North, was found to have been consistently absent from duty.
Her salary has been suspended indefinitely, and she has been directed to refund eight months of wages previously paid during her absence.
