Irate people storm DC’s office over relative’s death

Angry community members from Mwenitete Village in Traditional Authority Kyungu in Karonga on Tuesday stormed the district hospital to seek answers over the death of a 16-year-girl who died on Saturday at the facility.

Speaking in an interview, the deceased’s relative Ackim Mtumbuka Mwenitete claimed that his relative was taken to the facility on Friday night to seek treatment for sickle cell and healthcare workers told them that she urgently needed blood transfusion.

He said: “We were not helped until Saturday morning when the situation deteriorated. My niece was placed on life-supporting oxygen machine and later she died.

“We feel that the death was due to negligence as the nurses on duty did not attend to the patient.”

Mwenitete said they refused to sign medical forms after she had died and lodged a complaint with the hospital’s ombudsman, but were told to go to the hospital on Tuesday.

However, Karonga District Hospital principal health administrator Divelious Mwale referred the matter to the district commissioner’s (DC) office, five kilometres away.

But the irate community members demanded transport, saying if they were to walk to the DC’s office, then Mwale had to walk with them.

The demand prompted the administrator to provide the hospital’s five-tonne lorry to ferry the concerned citizens to the DC’s office.

Karonga acting DC Frank Mkandawire confirmed receiving concerns from the community members.

“The office is anxiously waiting for a report from the alleged negligent health workers,” he said.

Karonga District Concerned Citizens vice-secretary Field Mwanganya said his organisation will push for justice on the matter.

Meanwhile, the concerned citizens were told to go to the DC’s office again next Tuesday for results.