Regional Magistrate Bishard Chineka has acquitted Dr Noel Ralph Zulu, the medical superintendent at Masvingo Regional Hospital, who was facing manslaughter charges after leaving a 30cm x 30cm piece of gauze inside a patient’s stomach.
Dr Zulu was released this afternoon after an application for his release at the end of the case was filed in court by his lawyer Oliver Marwa last Wednesday.
The state said Gladys Sibanda’s death was caused by the gauze in her abdomen. Surgical gauze, also known as an abdominal swab, is a piece of cloth used to absorb blood and other fluids during surgery.
Judge Chineka ordered Zulu’s release after Dr Godfrey Zimbowa, who performed the autopsy on Gladys Sibanda, concluded that the cause of her death was cirrhosis of the liver.
The court also said there was insufficient evidence to conclude that Sibanda’s death was caused by the gauze left in her stomach in 2015. She died in 2023 while attending a Zanu PF rally in Zaka. The court heard that apart from her swollen stomach, Sibanda was physically fit and was doing household chores on her farm.
The accused is released at the end of the case if the prosecution fails to present evidence justifying the accused entering into a defence case. Masvingo Mirror
