Authorities at the Shama Hospital in the Western Region have been accused of negligence leading to the death of a 37 year old pregnant woman and her unborn child. The deceased, who was at the point of delivery, is reported to have been given little attention by nurses on duty whiles she was moaning in pains. According to a sister-in-law of the deceased, 37 year old Senam Gborgla had been attending antenatal at the Shama Hospital since March this year, when she resettled with her family at Chiefgakpokrom in the Shama District from the Volta Region. On that Sunday, July 8, they reported to the Hospital only to be asked to go back home after some drugs were prescribed for her. She told Maxx News their frightening experience began when they had to return to the hospital at about 10:00pm the same day because the deceased was still in pains. “When we go there, they looked through her folder and later took her blood. They asked me for her NHIS card which I had forgotten so they gave us a drug list including a drip which I bought and then they put the drip on her, gave her drugs and an injection. All the nurses then went to sleep when she was in severe agony. I called them and they told me that her time is not due so that is all they could do for her. Just when they went back to sleep again, my in-law called me to say that she was suffering so I went to call them again and they came to take off the drip and asked me to take her to Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. But I couldn’t carry her all by myself so I called them to assist me. So it was there they realized that her condition was severe. And just when a car was ready to take her, my sister-in-law died” she narrated. Rebecca Alorbu believes her sister-in-law would not have died if not for the negligence of the nurses on duty that night. “We went there at 10pm and she died at 3:00am. If they had taken good care of her, she wouldn’t have died. Even if they couldn’t have dealt with her condition, they should have told us earlier to refer her to Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital. They failed to listen to me and only asked us at 3:00am to take her there when she had given up the ghost already” she lamented. The husband of the deceased who appeared very devastated could not grant an interview as he pondered over the challenge of caring for four children left behind by his late wife. The Chief of Chiefgakpokrom, where the deceased lived, blamed poor service at the Hospital for the incident. The family was forced to take the body of the deceased home because the Hospital will not give them a report to deposit it at the Effia-Nkwanta morgue on the grounds that she died in less than 48 hours on admission at the Hospital. They had to lodge a complaint at the police station before the body was deposited at the morgue. Shama District Director of Health Dr. Amo Addai said allegations of negligence can only be established after investigations are completed into the incident. She said they are awaiting the post-term report to carry out a maternal death audit. Maxx News has however gathered that many residents are unhappy about the services of the Shama Hospital and will soon be staging a demonstration against the authorities to demand improved services.