The Nurses and Midwifery Council says it will investigate allegations of negligence against nurses at the Ridge Hospital that led to the death of a pregnant woman. The Council regulates the work of midwifes and nurses nationwide and has powers to summon any of its members accused of malpractice and apply sanctions if found culpable. Though the registrar of the council and her deputy are out of town, officials at the council told Joy News that once a complaint has been lodged, investigations would begin. The complainant, Herold Kofihene accused nurses of the Ridge Hospital of neglecting his wife Margaret Nartey who was pregnant with twins. She was referred to the Ridge Hospital from the Amasaman Government Hospital on May 20, 2008 but died on May 26, after delivering one of the twins dead. Mr. Kofihene said his late wife was not given the prescribed medication and care because of verbal exchanges between his wife’s sister and one of the nurses on duty. “The medicine and the food that was [supposed to be] given to Margaret they didn’t give it to her”, he said. Mr. Kofihene said the nurses told his sick wife that her parents would be made to pack her out of the hospital. With obvious pain and anguish he narrated how his late wife was found lying in vomit having been neglected by the nurses. Asked whether he tried to reach a superior officer at the hospital he said several drugs were prescribed following a call on the superiors. According to him, his late wife became restless after taking the medicines and at that stage her condition deteriorated drastically. He said on Saturday, May 24, 2008 “when we came we tried to give her food but she could not eat and they gave her oxygen” but it was not working. He noted that on Sunday, the condition further deteriorated adding that “the next day when we came they didn’t tell us anything, we went straight to the ward [and] found out that they [had] covered her with a bed sheet and when we removed it we found that she was dead” he stated. The aggrieved bereaved Kofihene told Joy News that when his wife gave birth to a lifeless twin, the family was not immediately informed. Meanwhile the head of obstetrics and gynecology at the Ridge Hospital Dr. Emmanuel Sorofonyor has denied that the deceased died as a result of negligence. He said everything had been done to save Margaret’s life. Story by Malik Abass Daabu