A Liberian Registered Nurse (RN), Jamesetta J. Kugmeh, accuses doctors and nurses at ELWA Hospital in Paynesville of alleged operational blunder during delivery, performing a surgical Cesarean Section (C-Section), resulting in her kidney and urethra's failure.
Madam Kugmeh is calling on the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), Liberia Board of Nursing and Midwifery, and Liberia's Ministry of Health to thoroughly investigate the case, as she is currently experiencing uncontrollable bleeding and severe pain at John F. Kennedy Hospital, where she has been transferred.
Cesarean Section or Cesarean Birth, (C-Section) is surgical delivery of a baby through a cut (incision) made in the birth parent's abdomen and uterus. However, this is provided by healthcare providers when they believe it is safer for both the mother and the baby.
Liberians on social media are currently soliciting funds for Madam Kugmeh to seek further medical treatment outside the country to stabilize her urine flow and stop the bleeding.
Speaking in tears during an interview over the weekend at the John F. Kennedy Hospital, where she has since been transferred, she narrated that early February 24, 2025, she woke up and beautifully dressed along with her husband, and they were on while on their way to purchase something, she decided to go and do her regular Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) at the ELWA hospital where she has been undergoing treatment since her pregnancy.
The Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) is calculated as part of a complete blood count (CBC) test, which estimates the baby's ability to fight infection.
According to her, when she got to the hospital, the nurse told her that she was forty-two weeks and five days pregnant, which she says she knew, being a Registered Nurse (RN) herself, but the nurses told her that she needed to be admitted to the ward.
"I told the nurse that even in my first pregnancy, I went longer. I informed her that my pregnancy usually takes longer, and I will get in pain by myself. But the Nurse told me that I couldn't leave; it's the hospital's policy. When they did my ANC checkup, the child's health and vital signs were well and okay. The child's vital sign was 136 when they did the incision. So, they transferred me to the ward. They did the incision on February 24 at 7:00 pm, and I remained there up to February 25, 2025, in serious pain", Madam Kugmeh discloses.
She continues that she was in severe pain when later doctors at ELWA told her that they needed to do a C-section operation on her, something she says she agreed to, and they took her in the theater where she offered prayers before the surgical operation was performed.
She says they performed the surgical operation, and Dr. Yasu guided and performed the process instead of Dr. Susay. She adds that due to the drip between her and Dr. Yasu, she didn't recognize his face while he was performing surgery.
But, when she saw on the Child Card Road to Health, she said she saw Dr. Yasu's name as the doctor that did the operation, and so she asked who he is, because she doesn't know him and so, after the C/S, she went back on the ward and held her baby with oxygen on her.
She explains that when she was taken to the ward with oxygen, she started bleeding severely, but they told her that her uterus was not contracting, something she says she understood, as a medical person, because in some cases the uterus doesn't contract, especially for multifarious women.
"From there, they suggested total history histo-restoration, and I agreed. They took me the second time and did the total histo-restoration operation, but when they brought me back, everything became abnormal again. So, the nurses suggested that I be taken to the Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) for monitoring and stability. I was semi-conscious because I was talking to them. People can attest. Even when they brought me to JFK, they said this other patient can talk. Even in the room before they burned me with something that looks like hot water when I was going off, I talked", Madam Kugmeh recalls.
She says while in the ORS to ensure that she is stabilized, they requested for twenty units of blood from her husband to infuse in her, at which time they kept her in the ORS from February 25-28.
Accordingly, she states that when she went into shock, the last thing she heard was that they should pack her things and call the ambulance, after which she was transferred to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital for further examination.
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"And so, maybe their hope was when I was coming, I was going to die. The third time, they took me to the Outpatient Department (OPD) to do my X-lap. So, I was wondering why C-section has to do with X-Lap, because I never had any history of kidney and liver failure or problems, neither did I have any abnormality throughout my pregnancy," she explained.
Madam Kugmeh notes that she has been taking her medication and doing checkups, so when they brought her to JFK, they did their best to revive her, but relating to the issue of her urine, she is only on dialysis.
"I am here suffering every day and dying. I can't urinate. Every morning, I am crying. I am in pain and so, I need answer. I am calling on the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC), Liberia Board of Nursing and Midwifery, and Liberia's Ministry of Health to do a thorough investigation in this case. Now, I need medical treatment outside the country to stabilize me and ensure that I can urinate and that the bleeding can stop," she pleads.
