12-year old commits suicide…Father blames nurses for negligence
By Lloyd Mwale in Kadoma
A 12-year-old Grade 7 Tafadzwa Primary school pupil committed sucide after his parents confronted him over the ownership of a smartphone.
Simbarashe Mutize (Jnr) of Engelbretch Street Eastview,Kadoma died after hanging himself last Wednesday and was laid to rest in Kadoma on Saturday. He left a suicide note, which was found in his pocket.
The father, Simbarashe Mutize (Snr) confirmed to The Observer that his son died at Kadoma Hospital after attempts to resuscitate him had failed after finding him hanging on the perimeter fence pole at their home.
“Simba died at Kadoma General Hospital last Wednesday after we had found him hanging on the perimeter fence pole in a suicide attempt. Last Tuesday he brought home a smartphone which he said he had picked in town and I advised him to return the phone where he had found it but I later found that he had not returned the phone. On Wednesday morning I found him removing the phone battery and I advised him again to return the phone to where he had picked it and I left for the hospital where I was to get my medication. I returned around 1900hrs and got into the house, later I heard a neighbour calling my wife that Simba was hanging on the pole and we quickly dashed and found Simba hanging but was groaning I tried a bit of First Aid and we then ferried him to Kadoma General Hospital and during our way to the hospital he still groaning. But at the hospital nurses on duty refused to attend to him as an emergency and advised me to first get a police report.
“At that time Simba was groaning, I then ran to Kadoma Central Police Station,a few metres from the hospital only to come back to see Simba’s lifeless body lying on the bed and the nurses again advised me to go back to Kadoma Central Police Station to notify the police about Simba’s death as the documents would be used to take Simba’s body to the mortuary,” said Simba (Snr).
Simba Snr said if the nurses on duty had attended to his son quickly they would have saved him because he was still breathing but due to negligence he lost his son.
“I blame those nurses who were on duty that day they did not attend to him as an emergency case only to advise us to put him in a side ward and to bring a police report. At that time my son was still alive but breathing slowly, if they had cared enough he would be alive today,” said the distraught father.
Contacted for a comment Kadoma General Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Kudzaishe Masendeke neither denied nor accepted the responsibility of Kadoma General Hospital nurses conduct before thorough investigations are cunducted on what took place the very day when the late Simba Mutize (Jnr) was brought to Kadoma General Hospital.
“I cannot say that happened or did not happen but as hospital authorities if the late Simba parents notify us in writing,we will then conduct our internal investigations,but those investigations will not be done by us here at Kadoma General Hospital but we’ll have to call other health personnel from other hospitals to conduct the investigations due to the serious nature of it. If I,as the Med Supt just call those who where on duty that very day they will tell me a different version but a thorough investigation is needed here!”
