The family of late Charlene Taumu, who passed away on October 13, 2021 at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), is calling on medical experts to explain the cause of Charlene’s death and that of her unborn child.
Late Charlene was nine months pregnant and was admitted at PMGH on October 9, 2021.
The family stated that after observations were done by a doctor, Charlene was declared COVID-19 positive. She had been vaccinated on September 27, 2021 – just two weeks prior.
Because of her COVID-19 status, Charlene was admitted to Ward 10, which keeps COVID-19 patients.
However, she was discharged the following day, October 10, with a prescription totaling K375, which she would pick up at a pharmacy.
Charlene’s family said on Tuesday, October 12, she complained of a shortness of breath and pains, and was again rushed to PMGH.
Her father Martin Taumu, in an exclusive interview with this newsroom, said doctors did not attend to his daughter immediately.
“Ol ino luksave lo ol hevi em wok lo go tru lo em. Mipla karim em go lo hausik na wanpla bikpla issue em ol dischargim em hariap go lo haus. Why discharging her when they already found out that she is COVID-19 positive patient?”
After 48 hours of observation, Mr Taumu said no good care was given to his daughter. And when he asked the doctor about her condition, the doctor in charge told him that Charlene had a 50/50 chance of survival. Mr Taumu said the doctor then gave him the option of allowing Charlene to go into the operating theatre because of her pregnancy.
On Wednesday October 13, 2021, Charlene died while trying to give birth to her baby. She was in labour on the floor when she lost her life.
“Time pikinini stap lo floor lo karim, nogat ol doctor stap lo halivim em na time em dai nau, instantly ol doctor kam from where em me no save wer ol traim lo savim baby. Unfortunately, baby em dai pinis while still in her mother’s womb,” Mr Taumu recalled the ordeal.
Taumu also raised a number of concerns including a lack of personal protective gear worn by the medical staff that was attending to Charlene.
Late Charlene father said, his daughter’s body was placed on a bed after she died. She laid there from 11am that morning, until 4pm when she was taken away.
She was only 30 years old.
Mr Taumu is now calling on relevant authorities to seriously look into such cases and investigate the cause of deaths at PMGH. He is sure there are other similar cases of negligence to that of his daughter.
Professor Glen Mola recently released a statement stating that a total of eight pregnant women (aged from 18 to 34 years) now die from severe COVID disease in the labor and post-natal wards of PMGH.
This has resulted in the doubling of the maternal death rate for the hospital.
“Usually we have 12-16 maternal (pregnancy related deaths per year); this year there have been 18 deaths up to August.
“I personally have watched two young women die from COVID complications in the PMGH labor ward over the past week.
“The visual effect of this tragedy is devastating. I am 50 years into medical practice and not many illness scenarios challenge or frighten me anymore; but watching young people die from severe COVID disease had a very big impact on me.
“Now I understand how people die from the kind of respiratory failure produced by severe COVID disease.
“They literally die from labored breathing exhaustion; they just do not have the strength to take another breath.”