A thirty eight year old woman has been abandoned by her husband and family at the AVI Matercare Hospital in Isiolo after giving birth to triplets.
Elizabeth Kadogo who hails from Kakili area of Buratward in Isiolo county delivered the bundle of joy on 8th October, but the news did not go well with her husband and immediate family members who have now left her helpless and depending on the hospital management for clothes and milk for the new-born babies, since her breasts cannot produce enough to feed them.
According to the hospital Matron Sr. Emily Jebiwott, this was the first case of triplets delivered at the facility. She said that the mother complained of lower abdominal pains when she reported for check ups and upon examination, medics noticed that Elizabeth had three babies, with one of them in a sitting position. This led to an operation to avert the risk of losing lives, which was successful as the medics managed to help deliver all the three babies safely.
Luke Mutugi, a nursing officer at the hospital saidthat the two girls were identical as they shared the same placenta, while theboy had his own.
One of the kids however developed jaundice, adisorder common among newborns but was successfully treated for two days at thehospital nursery.
On the delivery date, the husband, 40 year old Johniso Icharait made way to the hospital to see ‘his new child’ but was shocked to learn that his wife had given birth to triplets, and never came back since then. Her other relatives have not shown any concern, even seeing the babies. However, Elizabeth is still hopeful that her husband will still comeback, noting that he could have left to take care of their other children.
The couple have three other children aged 18, 16 and 6 years. She also gave birth to twins on her first delivery, but one of the babies died.
According to Elizabeth, her husband Johniso is jobless and only does charcoal burning to make ends meet.
She named the kids Emily, Jacinta and Simon, saying that both Sisters Emily and Jacinta helped her both materially and emotionally while at the hospital, while the hospital donor known as Simon was at the facility when she delivered the kids, hence naming the boy after him.
Sister Emily said that the hospital does not owe Elizabeth any medical fees since she had enrolled on ‘Linda Mama programme’, a government initiative to help mothers deliver in healthcare facilities without making payments.
Her greatest fear however is that when Elizabeth and her kids leave the facility, she will require help in bringing up the babies from the same people who seem to have disowned her. She called upon people of good will and organisations to help the mother bring up the babies through donation of food and non-food items.
In the Turkana community traditions, where both Elizabeth and Johniso belong, giving birth to more than one child at a go is considered abnormal, and locals associate the parents with evil deeds.