Woman delivers 5 babies in Tanzania after fleeing Kenya doctors’ strike

[kilam]

An expectant Kenyan mother who fled the doctors’ strike in her country and crossed into Tanzania to seek medical attention has delivered five babies in Kilimanjaro Region.

Ms Bahati Tabu, a 37-year-old single mother from Taveta, gave birth to the quintuplets at Faraja Health Centre in Himo District on Sunday. However, four infants, all male, died shortly after they were born. The sole survivor is a baby girl, who was the first to be delivered. Doctors said the baby, who weighed 600 grammes when she was born, was under special care at the health centre.

Ms Tabu crossed the border after over 5,000 doctors and nurses in government hospitals in Kenya began a nationwide strike on December 6 demanding better pay and working conditions.

She told The Citizen yesterday that she had ten children from a previous marriage before she gave birth on Sunday, and the baby that survived took the number of her children to 11.

Ms Tabu said began experiencing labour pains on Sunday in Taveta, but could not go to hospital due to the doctors’ strike.

“My neighbours decided to bring me to Himo, where I eventually gave birth. I was, however, devastated to hear that four had died, but that is God’s will,” she said.

Ms Tabu added that she attended clinic in Taveta during her pregnancy and was told that she was carrying quadruplets.

It was while she was giving birth that it was established that she had in fact carried quintuplets.

Ms Tabu said she was having a tough time providing for her ten children, and expected life to be even harder now that she had another one.

“I divorced my husband of 20 years several years ago. Almost all my children are dependent on me and I do menial jobs, which at least enable us to live to see the next day. The man with whom I had this last child walked out on me after we had a rocky relationship,” she said, adding that it was her neighbours who contributed money for her medical bills and transport to Himo, which is about 30 kilometres from Moshi.

The physician-in-charge at Faraja Health Centre, Dr Samuel Minja, told The Citizen yesterday that the woman was admitted on Sunday immediately after arriving from Taveta where she was unable to get medical attention.

He said Ms Tabu began experiencing labour pains despite being only in the sixth month of her pregnancy.

“We immediately took her to the delivery room where she started to give birth in quick succession,” Dr Minja added.

“Her first baby was a girl weighing 600 grammes, who survived. She then delivered three baby boys, who died shortly after they were born.

“We thought that it was all over, when we realised that there was still one more baby in the womb. The fifth baby, also a boy, was born after half an hour, but died after a few minutes.”

According to Dr Minja, Ms Tabu was well, adding that doctors were closely monitoring her sole surviving baby.

Woman delivers 5 babies after fleeing Kenya doctors’ strike

 

[Geza Ulole]

Pole sana Ms Tabu

 

[afrodenzi]

Inasikitisha mno.

 

[Mwanzi1]

Pole Mama Tabu, huwezi kurudisha yaliyo tokea lakini maisha yanasonga mbele.

 

[Dhuks]

So what does that say about the facilities that attended to her birth?

 

[double R]

Hata bila mgomo uhakika wa hao watoto kusurvive ungekuwa mdogo. Kikubwa ameokolewa yeye.

 

[Mwanzi1]

Hata bila mgomo uhakika wa hao watoto kusurvive ungekuwa mdogo. Kikubwa ameokolewa yeye.

Hakutakiwa kutoka aliko na kutafuta huduma mbali na aliko kuwa anaishi. Hata kama Mama Tabu angekuwa Mtanzania, kucheza na maisha ya binadamu sio sawa kwa maslahi ya wachache.

 

[Mlaleo]

Dah Nikisikia vifo vya Watoto na kina Mama napata uchungu Sana... Siwezi laumu sana Hospital zetu ila huduma zipo Chini Sana...

 

[housegirl]

Mapacha watano!!!!

Maskini hivyo vibaby ingekuwa first world country probably wasingekufa. Kulipaswa kutayarishwa jopo la madaktari na manesi kuzalisha na kuhudumia hao watoto kabla hajajifungua

 

[Mwanzi1]

Mapacha watano!!!!

Maskini hivyo vibaby ingekuwa first world country probably wasingekufa. Kulipaswa kutayarishwa jopo la madaktari na manesi kuzalisha na kuhudumia hao watoto kabla hajajifungua

Lazima kuangalia kwa upana na urefu, mimba sio doctor na hospitali tuu, mambo haya yanatokea hata kwa nchi zilizo endelea. Mimba inaanzia siku mama alipojuwa ni mjamzito, lishe, huduma kwa mama, afya ya mama hata stress level za mama inabidi izingatiwe, watoto watano kwenye tumbo la mama mmoja sio kitu cha mchezo.

 

[housegirl]

Lazima kuangalia kwa upana na urefu, mimba sio doctor na hospitali tuu, mambo haya yanatokea hata kwa nchi zilizo endelea. Mimba inaanzia siku mama alipojuwa ni mjamzito, lishe, huduma kwa mama, afya ya mama hata stress level za mama inabidi izingatiwe, watoto watano kwenye tumbo la mama mmoja sio kitu cha mchezo.

I insist, wangepata quality health care inawezekana wasingekufa. Wala usifananaishe infant mortality ya third world na first world.

Kwanza ilipaswa kutayarishwa team ya kuzalisha hao watoto kabla. Mkunga mmoja wawili hawatoshi!

Halafu Complications kwa mama na mtoto zinazidi kadri idadi ya watoto tumboni wanavyozidi regardless of lishe na watoto wa hivyo huzaliwa pre mature so walihitaji kupelekwa straight kwenye ICU ya vichanga. Usikute hapo alipojifungua hata kulikuwa hamna huduma hizo!

Ona mama mwenyewe aliambiwa ana wanne wakati ni watano! How!!

Mwisho wa siku nakubali umaskini umechangia kupoteza wanawe

 

[Mwanzi1]

I insist, wangepata quality health care inawezekana wasingekufa. Wala usifananaishe infant mortality ya third world na first world.

Kwanza ilipaswa kutayarishwa team ya kuzalisha hao watoto kabla. Mkunga mmoja wawili hawatoshi!

Halafu Complications kwa mama na mtoto zinazidi kadri idadi ya watoto tumboni wanavyozidi regardless of lishe na watoto wa hivyo huzaliwa pre mature so walihitaji kupelekwa straight kwenye ICU ya vichanga. Usikute hapo alipojifungua hata kulikuwa hamna huduma hizo!

Ona mama mwenyewe aliambiwa ana wanne wakati ni watano! How!!

Mwisho wa siku nakubali umaskini umechangia kupoteza wanawe

Tukiambiwa tulipe kodi, tusianze kulia, kodi ndio inaleta vitu kama hivyo ulivyo vitaja. Vya ulaya havikutoka mbinguni, someone had to pay for it in one way or another.

 

[Dhuks]

Lazima kuangalia kwa upana na urefu, mimba sio doctor na hospitali tuu, mambo haya yanatokea hata kwa nchi zilizo endelea. Mimba inaanzia siku mama alipojuwa ni mjamzito, lishe, huduma kwa mama, afya ya mama hata stress level za mama inabidi izingatiwe, watoto watano kwenye tumbo la mama mmoja sio kitu cha mchezo.

By whatever metrics you include, a survival rate for a pregnancy that was not threatening is a validation that the facilities were dire

 

[Mwanzi1]

By whatever metrics you include, a survival rate for a pregnancy that was not threatening is a validation that the facilities were dire

Your right, she might have good care all the way through her pregnancy, but sometimes I wonder if she knew she was pregnant with five babies. Because it seems to me the doctors were doing guess work, and by the look of things, the facility didn't have even handheld ultrasound for examination which could've to identify the problem.