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The State has denied responsibility for the death of a baby at Kafue General Hospital, as alleged by parents Mubanga Chileshe Chulu and Stephen Chulu.
In their defense, Attorney-General, Mulilo Kabesha, stated that standard progress monitoring showed the baby was non-responsive but alive at birth.
The State claimed continuous assessments prior to delivery indicated normal conditions, with the baby’s weight of 4.5 kilogrammes, position and environment suggesting a normal vaginal delivery was possible.
Kabesha asserted that partograph monitoring demonstrated that labour progress, maternal and fetal wellbeing were closely monitored, and contractions were progressing well, indicating imminent delivery.
He denied any negligence, affirming that all labour monitoring protocols were followed and the baby’s weight was known during the scan.
The State also claimed that resuscitation was immediately initiated when the baby did not cry after delivery and that the baby was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for further treatment.
The State attributed the baby’s death to Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) due to oxygen deprivation and claimed that all standard treatments were administered at University Teaching Hospital, but that the baby could not survive.
The State argued that medical practitioners performed their duties according to acceptable standards and that the loss suffered by the plaintiffs was too remote to be attributed to Kafue medical personnel.
The State denied any entitlement to relief sought by the parents.
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