Six Midwives Are on Trial Over Astou Sokhna's Death In Senegal | by Amuna Wagner

In Senegal, six health workers were charged in April 2022 with 'failure to assist a person in danger', reports Africa News.

Their trial resumed on Thursday, 5th May 2022, amidst raging public debates about the deficiencies of the Senegalese public health system.

Astou Sokhna was in her 30s and nine months pregnant when she passed away at a hospital in the northern town of Louga on 1st April 2022.

She died after reportedly spending 20 hours in labour and being refused a caesarean section, because it had not been scheduled in advance.

The BBC reports that the hospital turned down her repeated pleas and instead threatened to send her away if she kept insisting on the procedure.

Since Sokhna’s death, patient rights organisations have been receiving an influx of complaints, testimonies, and petitions against health workers, especially in Senegal’s countryside.

Health workers went on strike in response to the incident, protesting the charges against the midwives and demanding improved conditions for health workers.

Death during childbirth is a leading cause of mortality in Africa; in Senegal, the maternal mortality rate stands at about 156 deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 392 four years ago according to government figures.

In Senegal, six health workers were charged in April 2022 with 'failure to assist a person in danger', reports Africa News.

Their trial resumed on Thursday, 5th May 2022, amidst raging public debates about the deficiencies of the Senegalese public health system.

Astou Sokhna was in her 30s and nine months pregnant when she passed away at a hospital in the northern town of Louga on 1st April 2022.

She died after reportedly spending 20 hours in labour and being refused a caesarean section, because it had not been scheduled in advance.

The BBC reports that the hospital turned down her repeated pleas and instead threatened to send her away if she kept insisting on the procedure.

Since Sokhna’s death, patient rights organisations have been receiving an influx of complaints, testimonies, and petitions against health workers, especially in Senegal’s countryside.

Health workers went on strike in response to the incident, protesting the charges against the midwives and demanding improved conditions for health workers.