The Nursing and Midwifery Council has suspended a nurse and a midwife for three years for breaching the professional standards of the profession.
The two, Sarah Serwaa Major, a midwife and owner of Cradle Care Maternity Hospital Trust and Susana Adu, an enrolled general nurse at the Doku Memorial Clinic, have both been ordered to return their license and certificates of registration to the Registrar of the Council.
A statement signed by the Registrar of the Council, Felix Nyame, said both women have been barred from holding themselves as registered midwife and registered enrolled nurse respectively.
According to the statement, the decision was arrived at the 14th Governing Board of the Council at its 4th sitting after the Professional and Disciplinary committee of the Board issued preliminary inquiry reports where it pointed out the breach of professional standards and malpractice on the part of the two in providing healthcare to their clients.
Case against Mrs Sarah Serwah Major
According to the statement, a complainant (name withheld) went into labour late night on Thursday, November 30, 2017 and visited the Craddle Care Maternity Hospital Trust to deliver her baby.
Prior to that, the complainant and her husband had visited the hospital where the midwife had briefed them of her professional experience including the fact that she does not usually perform episiotomies but will put in place backup plans for any eventualities.
The complainant noted that, upon examination by the Midwife and noting that she was just two centimetres dilation, she was asked to go home and return after labour had set in. She returned to the hospital in the morning on Monday, December 4, 2017 and was delivered of her baby.
According to her, during and after the delivery of her baby, Mrs Major asked her husband to cut the umbilical cord with a blunt tool and used her gloved hand to touch other unsanitary items including her phone during the delivery.
She also complained that the midwife forcibly and manually removed the placenta amid excessive bleeding and succeeded in removing part of the placenta from the uterus.
According to her, although the midwife assured them that she would consult a doctor in case of a difficult situation, she did not and also refused their request to refer her to another hospital.
However, she said upon persistent pressure, her husband drove her wife to a nearby hospital where she received treatment.
Case against Madam Susana Adu
According to the statement, the complainant (name withheld) on December 5, 2015 in the afternoon realized that his three year old son had a hot temperature and subsequently took him to Doku Memorial Clinic.
He said that upon arrival at the clinic, they met Madam Susana Adu who observed his son and afterwards gave him two injections on the buttocks and later prescribed some medicines to be bought and administered to him.
“She asked us to go home with the assurance that the boy will get well and also told me not to let the boy walk. After two days, the boy’s condition was worse and so we took him again to the Doku clinic because the boy could not walk, talk nor see properly. We met the same woman but this time she called another person to come and examine him. The man upon observation advised we take him to either Alpha or Ridge Hospital. We asked for referral letter but they could not provide us with one. They told us to go to the hospital but should not inform the authorities that the boy had received any medical attention earlier”, the complainant narrated.
The complainant also noted that the boy’s condition was becoming worse “so we chose to send him to the Legon Hospital. He was rushed to the emergency ward, examined and was given oxygen and around 10:00pm on the same day we were informed that the boy had passed on” he sadly said.
Sanctions
According to the statement, based on the findings by the Professional and Disciplinary Committee of the Governing Board, it was concluded that Mrs Major breached professional standards of practice for registered midwives and also failed to observe the standard guidelines for referral of patients and the national guidelines for recording and reporting births.
She has therefore been directed to undergo continuous professional development training after serving the period of suspension.
Madam Adu on her part, was found to have engaged in instances of professional malpractice and has thus been suspended for a period of three years, while her certificate has also been taken away from her for the period.