Woman loses arm to alleged quack doctor as family planning goes wrong

A 31-year-old woman of Chazanga Township, Lusaka, wept as she testified how she experienced pain in her arm after a self-proclaimed doctor injected her with a purported family planning medication.

Nancy Musonda, the victim later lost her hand through amputation.

Musonda narrated that after the ‘doctor’ injected her, the side effects of the drug caused her infant to suffer diarrhoea after being breastfed.

She was testifying in a case where Shaderick Ng’andu, 58, was charged with maliciously administering poison with intent to harm.

On August 12, 2022, Ng’andu, with intent to injure, allegedly administered a toxic drug on Musonda and caused her grievous bodily harm.

But Ng’andu after appearing before Lusaka magistrate Crispin Hampungani, on Thursday denied the charge.

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In her testimony, the victim said on August 11 last year around noon, her neighbour called her and introduced her to the accused who was being referred to as doctor HH.

“My neighbour told me that Dr HH supplies family planning injections to everyone in the area,” Musonda said.

Musonda, who was in her shop at the time, then asked Ng’andu if he had family planning medication which could last for three months.

In response, the accused said that the medicine was available at K20.

“He then excused himself and when he came back, he put medicine in the Syringe and injected me,” the woman said.

Musonda paid K20 for the medication.

“After he injected me, I started feeling pain. I later breast fed my son and he had diarrhoea. I then went home,” she said.

Musonda said the pain persisted the following day and the baby started vomiting.

“The pain continued and I stopped going for work until I decided to go to the clinic where they prescribed neutralising medication for me,” she said.

The witness said the pain never stopped.

“I was advised to go to Kanyama clinic where they cut the wound and told me I should go back so that it could be cleaned,” she said.

The court heard that after several visits to the clinic, her arm burst open and she fell unconscious.

“When I woke up. I found myself at University Teaching Hospital where I discovered my arm was amputated,” she said and wept.

In cross examination, Ng’andu claimed that Musonda could have been drunk and decided to finger him in connection with the allegations.