Harare Man Confronts Doctors After Wife And Baby Die During Delivery Complications

A man grieving the death of his pregnant wife has clashed with staff at Parirenyatwa Hospital’s maternity ward over the body of an infant he was asked to collect for burial.

Tawanda Sengu, 34, of Eastview in Harare, refused to take custody of the baby’s body after being instructed by hospital staff to do so.

He said he had been told by a doctor that the child had died in the womb, but claimed that a different doctor later contacted him while he was burying his wife and asked him to return to the hospital to collect the infant’s remains.

Sengu’s wife, Lizzy Katsiga, died during a surgical operation after she was admitted for complications in pregnancy.

According to Sengu, she first experienced labour pains and was taken to a clinic in Mabvuku on 5 May, before being referred to Parirenyatwa Maternity Hospital, where she was admitted.

He said that the following day, doctors informed him that Lizzy had lost a lot of blood during surgery and had died.

He further claimed that the same medical team told him the baby had died in the womb several days earlier.

After Lizzy’s body was released, the family proceeded with the burial in Mutoko on 28 May, but said they were not shown the body of the baby at the time, raising concerns within the family.

Sengu said that while he was still at the graveside, he received a phone call from a doctor questioning whether he had been shown the baby’s body, prompting further confusion.

He said he later returned to confront hospital authorities, leading to a tense exchange with staff over the infant’s remains.

“We refused to accept the baby the authorities wanted to give us. We collected the body of Lizzy without an explanation on the whereabouts of the baby,” Sengu said.

“They phoned on May 28, saying they had located the baby. On June 9, this was the day we failed to agree about the baby they wanted us to take.

“We want DNA tests to prove that the baby is mine. We are so angry about this, and we have taken our case to the police.”

The spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Harare Province, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, confirmed the case.

“Police are investigating a missing foetus case at a local hospital,” he said.

“The bereaved family claimed that hospital authorities failed to surrender the foetus on the same day following the death of the expecting mother.”

Lizzy is survived by her husband and three children.

More: H-Metro