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'My wife died in childbirth after midwives ignored cries for help'
Evening Standard 15 Nov 2011A widower told today how his wife and first child died after repeated pleas for help were ignored by midwives at a London hospital.
Sareena Ali suffered a ruptured womb, triggering major organ failure and killing her baby girl, hours after arriving at Queen's Hospital in Romford. Today her husband Usman Javed who is suing the hospital, gave evidence at the inquest into her death.
The 29-year-old told Walthamstow coroner's court: "I went to the nursing station several times asking, 'Can you please help us.' They kept saying, 'Go back to her she is fine. That is what labour is.' They said it in a rude way.
"But I knew she wasn't fine. I was very concerned. She was clearly not well. She was acting oddly."
Doctors decided to induce the Harrods sales assistant on January 23 as she was overdue. She had lost a baby previously and was classed as high risk.
But she was left alone for up to two-and-a half hours as she screamed for help, the court heard. The couple, from Romford, arrived at the maternity unit at 10am and Mrs Ali, 27, was induced about an hour later. But by 7pm, her pains got worse until she fell unconscious. Mr Javed, a mortgage consultant, said: "My wife was sweating and saying she was hot. I asked for a fan and they told me to get my own fan.
"At one point I said my wife is not moving, please help us. They told me to go away and said she was fine without checking her. I said ... she is in pain. One midwife said, 'Have you not been reading books, what have you been doing for the last nine months?'" After his wife collapsed trying to get out of bed Mr Javed pressed the emergency button.
Doctors put an oxygen mask on Mrs Ali but did not realise it was not linked to the tank until her husband said, the court heard. She had an emergency caesarean, but it was too late to save the child. Mrs Ali was kept on a life-support machine for five days before Mr Javed was told she was brain dead.
The hospital has admitted it was at fault and suspended two midwives. Mrs Ali was the fifth woman to die at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals trust in 18 months. A report by NHS watchdog Care Quality Commission criticised care at the unit.
Reader views (5)
The hospital, directors, nurses, midwives, etc should be charged with criminal negligence causing death as I feel they have and continue to act in a negligent matter!
- Ed, Toronto, ON, Canada, 15/11/2011 21:08
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A nurse (not from this hospital) was recently convicted of killing her baby by force feeding. Part of her defence was that it was common practice in her own country. How many nurses (and doctors) are there that apply standards in their own counties to working in this one ? Of course there are formal qualifications, but these do not necessarily reflect attitudes and common sense.
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- Rog, Enfield, 15/11/2011 18:30
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I'm afraid that you will have to blame Blair and Brown and the leaders before them for this wonderful treatment that is met out to people in hospitals today. The doors were left open and in they walked . I wonder how many have entered this country without papers in the last number of years and are now working in the NHS . Of course we now have a government which is just as bad as we have all seen in the last number of weeks .
- Hamilton Straker, Ealing West London, 15/11/2011 16:29
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This is shocking (but sadly not surprising).
When my husband was in hospital recently we were lucky if the nurses spoke English, let alone being able to work the oxygen supply. Everything was considered inconvenient to them, and all patients in pain were told 'that was to be expected' without any further checking. It took over an hour to fill out a simple form - all the while he was crying with pain.
My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved husband for the loss of his wife and baby daughter. Nothing will bring them back but justice should be done to prevent this from happening again.
- SMB, London, UK, 15/11/2011 15:30
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Midwives suspended? Not charged with manslaughter then.
- Paul, IoD, London, 15/11/2011 15:21
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