A post-mortem examination has revealed that the doctor implicated for decapitating a baby during delivery at the Windhoek Central Hospital did not act in any culpable manner. The Namibian reports that this was announced by health minister Kalumbi Shangula who said: “The results from the post-mortem investigation revealed that the medical personnel did not act in any culpable manner and the suspended doctor has been reinstated.”
It was reported in December 2019 that the “baby's head was ripped from the body” by the doctor who was attending to the 24-year-old mother during birth. The incident happened on 5 December.
Shangula said the ministry commissioned an investigation after the immediate suspension of the implicated physician. He said the results of the post-mortem examination have been shared with the family. The doctor has been reinstated, Shangula added.
The report says for ethical reasons, Shangula was unable to share the details of the post-mortem results with the public. “Suffice to the state that the baby was having multiple congenital deformities that are not compatible with life and was not viable at the time of delivery,” he said.
[link url="https://www.namibian.com.na/87147/read/Doctor-absolved-of-decapitating-baby-at-birth"]Full report in The Namibian[/link]