A protest has followed the death of a middle-aged woman during childbirth in the Sankwala community of Cross River North senatorial district.
The deceased, simply identified as Rebecca, died during delivery at the weekend because there were no resident doctors to attend to her in the public hospital she was rushed to.
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A resident of the area, Mr. John Akeye, stated that Rebecca died at Sankwala General Hospital last Thursday during childbirth after fruitless efforts by ward attendants because the only doctor on duty on that fateful day had retired to bed because he was exhausted.
Rebecca was the third pregnant woman to die under such circumstances in the last few months at the hospital.
The incident allegedly angered residents, who took to the streets with placards and marched to the hospital to express their grievances.
Akeye called on the state government to rise to the occasion and ensure that qualified medical personnel and equipment are put in place at Sankwala General Hospital.
He said, “It’s really unfortunate that an incident of this nature could occur without any medical personnel to attend to this woman.
“How could a big hospital of this nature have only one medical doctor whom we heard was overstretched with work after performing several surgeries and left home to sleep when the emergency broke out.”
Reacting to the issue, Governor Bassey Otu’s chief press secretary, Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, said his principal had ordered the deployment of medical experts who would commence work immediately to strengthen medical facilities in the state.