OTJIWARONGO: The Namibian Police (NamPol) in Otjozondjupa Region last week opened an inquest docket to investigate the death of a 20-year-old pregnant woman who died while giving birth in Otjiwarongo State Hospital.

Otjozondjupa Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Joseph Anghuwo told Nampa in an interview on Monday that his office has opened an inquest docket (11/2012) that will lead the investigations to determine the death of Ropolie Eises.

Eises and her un-born baby died on 02 July this year in the Otjiwarongo State Hospital theatre-ward where she was operated (caesarian).

Anghuwo said the inquest docket was opened for the police to ascertain the facts relating to the death of Eises.

He said the police investigations for now are on hold pending a medical report from expert doctors based in Windhoek who are busy to investigate the real cause of Eises’s death also.

“The experts’ medical report will lead us on what to do whether to continue investigating her death or not,” charged Anghuwo.

He said that the medical report will determine whether there was negligence involved by the doctors who operated on Eises or it was a mere accident.

On his part the Otjozondjupa Regional Health Director, Peter Angala also confirmed the death of Eises and her un-born baby in the Otjiwarongo State Hospital earlier this month.

He said that the two died on 02 July in the Otjiwarongo State Hospital theatre-ward during caesarian operation.

“I can confirm her death and her un-born baby. On my side I have compiled a report I sent to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services,” said Angala.

Angala therefore, refused to discuss the content of his compiled report or what had happened on that day at the hospital.

He said that his hands were tied since the matter now has become a police case.

Nampa on Monday afternoon contacted the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Andrew Ndishishi on the matter.

Ndishishi said two reports were already sent to the Public Health Council so that it can do its investigations on the cause of death of Eises and her un-born baby.

He said a report from the Otjozondjupa Regional Health Directorate and another one from his office all were being already sent to them.

“All the reports from us has been sent to the relevant bodies (Public Health Council) so that they can do their investigations on the cause of her death,” he said.

Ndishishi explained that the Public Health Council is the body which registers professional doctors and nurses in the country, so it is the same organ which conducts investigations on case like this one.

He explained that the council will closely look at the situation on how Eises was operated as well as whether the normal procedures were followed to operate on her.

Ndishishi refused to discuss details of the reports from his office to the public health council or on what transpired here at the Otjiwarongo State Hospital on that fateful day.

“We are not allowed to discuss medical reports of our patients to anyone. And only the close relatives of the deceased in this matter will be informed of the results from the public health council,” he said.

A separate own investigations by this Nampa journalist was conducted earlier last week in which a 61-year-old grandmother of Eises, Sofia Gawanas said that on that afternoon of 02 July she had taken Eises to the Otjiwarongo State Hospital after she complained of birth pains.

On arrival at the hospital Eises was taken to the sonar scanner where it was found by some doctors that the un-born baby was not well positioned in the womb as it was upside down.

Gawanas said that according to the doctors the baby’s legs were pointing downwards, while the head pointed upwards.

Therefore, Eises could not give a natural birth on her own than to be operated on.

However, Eises died in the theatre-ward during the process of operations, said Gawanas.

Gawanas now fears that the Ministry of Health and Social Services might cover up the death of her granddaughter since it has taken so long to announce the exact cause of her death.

Eises was buried on 14 July in Otjiwarongo‘s Orwetoveni cemetery.