By Deborah Nnamdi
The Hiitom in Ikyor community of Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State has been thrown into mourning over the death of a middle-aged widow, and her newborn quadruplets.
Reports indicate that the woman and her babies passed away on Tuesday, March 4, during childbirth at the St. Francis Primary Healthcare Centre in Ikyor, Ushongo LGA due to alleged lack of medical care.
She was said to have become weak and restless after giving birth, leading to her death with the babies dying one after another.
The Officer in Charge of St. Francis Primary Healthcare Centre, Isaac Gbilin explained that the woman went into labour at about 4 am and was rushed to the facility in a wheelbarrow where she delivered two babies while on her way and another two at the facility.
He explained that the woman who never attended antenatal also had a challenge of shortage of blood while her seven-month-old babies were premature.
He said: “She said she did not attend antenatal because there was nobody to help her and when I tested her I discovered she had a haemorrhage of blood. And we had already prepared to take care of that when she died.
Father of the diseased, Mr. Stephen Shaagee said his daughter had been struggling to cater for her surviving three children after her husband died, explaining that he accommodated them following disagreements with her in-laws who could not take care of them even in her pregnancy.
The Kindred Head of Ikyor, Chief Samuel Iyohule, who spoke through the Tax Collector, Ephraim Ayua expressed gratitude to the state government for the intervention, though the women and her babies did not make.
He appealed for the provision of basic amenities in the area.
