Our children will never forget mum
Grieving father’s promise to family after verdict into hospital tragedy A Park Wood dad is determined his daughter will always be reminded of the mum who died during childbirth.
Oladapo Babatola, a doctor at Maidstone’s Priority House, was left a widower with three young children when his wife Abimbola passed away following a Caesarean section.
His fight for answers has finally ended with the coroner delivering a damning verdict on the care the 39-year-old received at a London hospital.
And although the inquest identified failings which amounted to neglect, the grief-stricken father said he was not angry, but focused on ensuring the children were brought up knowing who their mother was – including the baby she never got to hold.
He said: “She was my wife and I still love her dearly.
“It is a very big loss and I cannot explain what it means to the children and I. “It still is a pain we all share.”
Medical negligence contributed to the death of a woman after she gave birth, an inquest has concluded.
Mother-to-be Abimbola Babatola, of Park Wood, was rushed to Tunbridge Wells Hospital in July last year with leg pains, thought to have been caused by her sickle cell disease.
She was transferred to King’s College Hospital, London, the next day, after doctors thought she had suffered a pulmonary embolism.
The 39-year-old was heavily pregnant and, three weeks later, was given an emergency caesarean section, but never got to hold her new born baby.
Mrs Babatola had become unconscious after complications and never recovered.
Although her daughter, Vivienne, survived, the St Catherine’s Road resident died at the Denmark Hill hospital just over two weeks later.
Her husband, Oladapo, who works as a doctor at Priority House, next to Maidstone Hospital, asked lawyers to investigate the care his wife received in London.
A three-day inquest was held at Southwark Coroner’s Court by senior coroner Dr Andrew Harris and the findings issued last Friday.
His report stated Nigerian-born Mrs Babatola died from hypoxicischaemic encephalopathy – a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen, collapse after caesarean section, post-partum haemorrhage, and sickle cell disease.
She had been unconscious since Monday, July 13, when she was declared brain dead. She died at 6.24am on July 31. Just days before the C-section, doctors found Mrs Babatola had suffered a suspected pulmonary embolism – a blockage in her lungs – and she was treated with bloodthinning medication.
The coroner concluded her death was caused by natural causes, contributed to by a failure to help her deteriorating condition after her operation.
He said this “amounted to neglect”.
The coroner found an intravenous tube, which staff thought was giving her fluids after her C-section, was not working.
The real issue, however, lay in the fact that she was not given a blood transfusion.
Dr Harris added: “I conclude a failure to escalate her care contributed to her death on the balance of probabilities.
“I am satisfied with regard to the omissions that have contributed to her death, which all con- stitute the provision or procurement of basic medical care.”
Richard Kayser, a specialist medical negligence lawyer representing Mr Babatola, said: “Her family have been left completely devastated after losing her so suddenly.
“We hope the failings highlighted during the inquest will provide the hospital with some learning points.”
‘Her family have been left completely devastated after losing her so suddenly’