Most maternal deaths are preventable and are linked to severe bleeding, high blood pressure in pregnancy. [File Courtesy]
Barely two hours after Lillian Mwikali delivered healthy twin daughters through Caesarean section at Kambu Sub-county Hospital in Makueni County, medics noticed something unusual with the patient.
Nurses quickly wheeled her back into the operating theatre. Here, it was a frantic race against time to save the patient’s life as she had started bleeding heavily while slipping into unconsciousness. Despite their efforts, luck was not on their side; the new mother’s life ebbed away right in front of their eyes.
Later, doctors confirmed that she succumbed to complications related to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), which is excessive bleeding after childbirth, a leading contributor to maternal deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
For her husband, Antony Ndolo, the memories of that day in December last year are painfully fresh. The young couple was expecting twins, and Ndolo was anxious, hoping to hold their double bundle of joy.
