Tuesday January 7, two families are preparing to welcome a new member that day. One is expecting her first child, the other her second. The atmosphere is festive, despite the normal stress that those close to the mother and father can feel before giving birth. However, within a few hours, the unthinkable happened: both mothers lost their lives. Faced with this tragedy, an investigation has been opened by the competent authorities.
After a long silence, the clinic finally reacted this Wednesday, January 15, 8 days after the events. Approached by Le360its management ensures that only “the autopsy report will make it possible to precisely determine the circumstances» surrounding this drama. She also confirms that she recorded “two deaths, not three“, as initially relayed in the media, and states that “an investigation is underway and a commission from the Ministry of Health, accompanied by the judicial authorities, has already been dispatched to the site».
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Management adds that it is waiting “the results of the autopsy and the end of the investigation» to publish a detailed press release: “We deeply regret what happened. This is the first time we have experienced such a situation. Since the clinic opened in 2023, we have performed approximately 2,752 cesarean deliveries, without recording any deaths.»
While awaiting the conclusions of the investigation, families are mourning their loved ones and trying to understand what went wrong.
«She was young, in perfect health»
This Tuesday, January 7, at 8 a.m., KB, 23, comes to the clinic for her first delivery, an event planned for several weeks. His state of health is good, no worrying signs. “We showed up at the hospital, we did all the formalities. My wife was taken to the operating room around 8:30 a.m.», relate son mari.
The birth takes place an hour later, around 9:30 a.m. To the family, the clinic announces that the baby is doing well. “At the reception, they called me to say that my wife had given birth and that we needed to send clothes. My wife’s mother came down to the delivery site, just long enough to give a bag to the staff. She was not able to see the child, nor her daughter.»
Time passes. “The clinic gave us a room, we set up our things, we couldn’t wait to meet the new mother and her baby. Every thirty minutes, or every hour, I went down to ask for news, but I was refused access to the operating room.» Pretext: “She hasn’t woken up from the anesthesia yet.»
Three hours later, the worry becomes palpable. Staff are busy left and right, but the answers remain vague. Finally, the staff announces to the husband: “She is in intensive care.” For what? How? Impossible to have more details.
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At the reception, another man learns at the same time that his wife, admitted for another birth, is also in intensive care. “I learned at the same time that the clinic’s anesthesiologist was absent and that the establishment had called on someone else to replace him.», adds the young husband.
The hours pass. The bad news begins to fall: “They put a bandage on my wife’s eyes. I was first told about anaphylactic shock. Around 4:30 p.m., the first victim — the other gentleman’s wife — was pronounced dead. I started to panic even more.»
The husband insists on knowing what’s going on: “We don’t want to wake her because her condition is too fragile.”, he was told. Then, almost mechanically, we tell him that “everything is stable“, that he must come back later. “After midnight, I was even asked to go home and come back the next day“, he confides.
The young father decides to stay. Finally, at 3 a.m., the terrible news came: his wife had suffered a cardiac arrest. She died.
«She was shaking all the time»
The other bereaved family shares an equally heartbreaking story. For this young father, it was the second birth of his thirty-year-old wife. They already have a five-year-old daughter at home, eager to meet her little sister.
At 7:30 a.m., they arrive at the clinic, on the recommendation of the gynecologist: “At 8 a.m., the doctor was there. At 8:30 a.m., they took her to the operating room.» A few hours later, he was informed that his wife had had an allergic reaction. Panicked, he demands the right to see her: “When I saw her, she was shaking constantly.» He too comes up against the same justifications: “She’s not awake, it’s just the anesthesia.» Around 4 p.m., the second death was announced.
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In shock, the husband goes to the police station: “A report was drawn up. The prosecutor received me, offered me his condolences and promised to follow up on the case.» Then, at the morgue, the forensic doctor warns him: he will have to wait for the results of the autopsy.
The truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth
Both newborns are doing well. But they will grow up without knowing their mothers. For families, many questions remain. Both husbands suspect a serious medical error. Their feeling is that an attempt was made to delay and space out death announcements.
To anger is added doubt, therefore. The hardest part, they say, is the lack of transparency: “No one really explained to us what happened. At first they talked about anaphylactic shock, then complications. We wonder why the doctors seemed hesitant, why they encouraged us to leave.»
While awaiting the results of the investigation, families and loved ones are suffering. And they don’t understand. Their only demand is that the truth be established. To be continued…
Par Fatima Zahra El Aouni et Beat Kharroubi
01/15/2025 at 8:59 p.m.
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