Medical negligence is substandard care that’s been provided by a medical professional to a patient, which has directly caused injury or caused an existing condition to get worse. There’s a number of ways that medical negligence can happen such as misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or surgical mistakes.
The Medical Council of Malawi (MCM) has suspended 10 medical practitioners whom it found guilty of various offences of professional misconduct.
A statement signed by the council’s acting registrar confirms that the development, follows investigations conducted between 2019 and 2020 following public complaints against the medics and their hospitals.
The medical doctors and clinicians include Frank Taulo, a renowned gynaecologist whose case involved his time at Mwaiwathu Private Hospital.
According to MCM, on 15 August 2020 Taulo was negligent to attend to a woman who was on induced labour and, because of poor monitoring; the woman suffered serious complications.
Following his conviction, the council has recommended revocation and suspension of his private practice licence for 5 years.
Other medics who have met the MCM’s wrath are Lewis Munyungu, Martha Makwero, Grace Misiri, Laston Mkandawire, Innocent Malolo, Owah Kapito, Bakali Rajab, Innocent Mhango and Blessings Kapesi.
In the case of Mhango, the MCM’s investigation centred around his failure to manage a woman in labour, thus contributing to a ruptured uterus and stillbirth on 18 August 2017.
Mhango, a medic at Machinga District Hospital, is set to undergo a six-month remedial clinical attachment in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the Kamuzu Central Hospital.
The rest of the affected medical practitioners have since been given individual suspension penalties.
