Nurse, Midwife Suspended 3years

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has suspended a nurse and a midwife three years for engaging in unprofessional conduct and breaching the professional standards of the health profession.

“The 14th Governing Board of the Council took this decision at its 4th sitting,” a statement signed by Registrar at the Council, Felix Nyante stated.

Sarah Serwaa Major, a midwife and owner of Craddle Care Maternity Hospital Trust and Susana Adu, an Enrolled General Nurse who worked at the Doku Memorial Clinic, have both been ordered to return their license and certificates of registration to the Registrar of the Council.

According to the Council, both women are not permitted to “hold themselves as Registered Midwife and Registered Enrolled Nurse respectively or render, or purport to render any professional healthcare services to the public.”

The Nursing and Midwifery Council in its statement said it instituted an investigation and disciplinary action against the two health workers following a number of complaints made against them.

Suspended midwife

The Council said during its investigation, it found out that, whilst assisting a pregnant woman during labour on Monday, December 4, 2017, Major took some unprofessional decisions which nearly cost the life of the pregnant woman and her baby.

The Governing Board as part of its sanctions directed Mrs. Major to undergo Continuous Professional Development training after serving the suspension period.

Case against Nurse

With regards to Susana Adu, the Council said she also took some unprofessional decisions in a case involving a three-year-old boy, who was brought to her with a high temperature thus worsening the condition of the boy.

Based on the action of the nurse, the Council said the boy could no longer walk or talk.

The Council called on the general public and the media to report any case of professional misconduct or breach of professional standards by Nurses and Midwives to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the necessary actions to be taken.

Below is the full statement from the Council:

N&MC SUSPENDS MIDWIFE AND NURSE FOR BREACH OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana has suspended an Enrolled Nurse and a Midwife on separate counts of unprofessional conducts and breach of professional standards for three years.

The 14^th Governing Board of the Council took this decision at its 4^th sitting.

The Governing Board's decision against the two health practitioners came after the Professional and Disciplinary committee of the Governing Board issued preliminary inquiry reports where it pointed out the breach of professional standards and malpractice on the part of the Midwife and the Enrolled Nurse in providing healthcare to their clients.

According to the 14^th Governing Board, “during the period of suspension, Mrs. Sarah Serwah Major who is the Midwife and owner of Craddle Care Maternity Hospital Trust and Madam Susana Adu, the Enrolled General Nurse who worked at the Doku Memorial Clinic, all in Accra, shall not hold themselves as Registered Midwife and Registered Enrolled Nurse respectively or render, or purport to render any professional healthcare services to the public”.

The Governing Board, in addition, has ordered the two health practitioners to return their license to practice cards and certificates of registration to the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

CASE AGAINST MRS. SARAH SERWAH MAJOR

According to the Registrar of the Council Mr. Felix Nyante, who disclosed this to the Media, the Council received complaints of malpractice against, Mrs. Sarah Serwah Major, a Registered Midwife and owner of Craddle Care Maternity Hospital Trust at Spintex Road in Accra.

Mr. Nyante said “having established a prima facie case of the complaints received, and following the dissolution of the 13^th Governing Board in 2017, the Council had to wait till the inauguration of the 14^th Governing Board to sit on the matter. After the case was presented to the 14^th Governing Board, the Professional and Disciplinary committee of the Board was tasked to investigate the allegations and make recommendations”

According to the investigations by the Committee, the complainant (name withheld) went into labour late night on Thursday November 30, 2017 and visited the Craddle Care Maternity Hospital Trust to deliver her baby. Prior to that, the complainant and her husband had visited the hospital where the midwife had briefed them of her professional experience including the fact that she does not usually perform episiotomies but will put in place backup plans for any eventualities.

The complainant noted that, upon examination by the Midwife and noting that she was just two centimeters dilation, she was asked to go home and return after labour had set in. She returned to the hospital in the morning on Monday December 4, 2017 and was delivered of her baby. She said that during and after the delivery of her baby, she observed the following practices, as contained in her complaints to the Council;

1. The Midwife asked the complainant's husband to cut the umbilical cord with a blunt tool and used her gloved hand to touch other unsanitary items including her phone during the delivery
2. Major in trying to forcibly and manually remove the placenta amid excessive bleeding, succeeded in removing part of the placenta from the uterus
3. She did not consult with any Doctor although she assured them of consulting one in case of difficult situations and also refused their request to refer her to another hospital. However upon persistent pressure, the complainant's husband drove the wife to a nearby Hospital where she received treatment.

The 14^th Governing Board at its 4^th sitting and based on the findings by the Professional and Disciplinary Committee of the Governing Board who sat on the matter and conducted a full scale inquiry, concluded that Mrs. Sarah Serwah Major breached professional standards of practice for Registered Midwives and also failed to observe the standard guidelines for referral of patients and the national guidelines for recording and reporting births.

The Governing Board as part of its sanctions directed Mrs. Major to undergo Continuous Professional Development training after serving the period of suspension.

CASE AGAINST MADAM SUSANA ADU

According to Mr. Felix Nyante, the Council received a complaint of malpractice against Madam Susana Adu, an Enrolled Nurse at the Doku Memorial Clinic in Accra. Having established a prima facie case of the complaints received, the matter was presented to the 14^th Governing Board at its maiden sitting held on December 21, 2018. The Professional and Disciplinary Committee of the Governing Board was tasked to further investigate the allegations and make recommendations.

According to the Registrar, the complainant (name withheld) on December 5, 2015 in the afternoon realized that his three year old son had a hot temperature and subsequently took him to Doku Memorial Clinic. He said that upon arrival at the clinic, they met Madam Susana Adu who observed his son and afterwards gave him two injections on the buttocks and later prescribed some medicines to be bought and administered to him.

“She asked us to go home with the assurance that the boy will get well and also told me not to let the boy walk. After two days, the boy's condition was worse and so we took him again to the Doku clinic because the boy could not walk, talk nor see properly. We met the same woman but this time she called another person to come and examine him. The man upon observation advised we take him to either Alpha or Ridge Hospital. We asked for referral letter but they could not provide us with one. They told us to go to the hospital but should not inform the authorities that the boy had received any medical attention earlier”, the complainant narrated.

The complainant also noted that the boy's condition was becoming worse “so we chose to send him to the Legon Hospital. He was rushed to the emergency ward, examined and was given oxygen and around 10:00pm on the same day we were informed that the boy had passed on” he sadly said.

The Professional and Disciplinary committee of the Governing Board in its inquiry found that Madam Adu had engaged in instances of professional malpractice. The 14^th Governing Board, based on the recommendations of the committee took a decision to suspend the Enrolled Nurse for a period of three years, retrieve her Enrolled General Nurse Certificate for the period of suspension and must not be issued with a license to practice during the period of her suspension.

REGISTRAR'S ADVICE

Mr. Felix Nyante stated that each practitioner has professional responsibility to work in accordance with the relevant standards and codes. He therefore advised all practitioners to uphold the nursing and midwifery professions and exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

He called on the general public and the media to report any case of professional misconduct or breach of professional standards by Nurses and Midwives to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the necessary actions to be taken.

Felix Nyante (FWACN, FGCNM)

Registrar