By A Correspondent| In a tragic incident, a new mother died hours after giving birth to triplets at St Patricks Hospital in Hwange on Wednesday.

The Binga woman who had not undergone an ultrasound scan because of the poor medical facilities provided at rural hospitals and clinics was not aware that she was carrying triplets until she went into labour.

The woman who has not yet been named, naturally gave birth to the first baby, but had complications giving birth to the other two and had to undergo surgery.

Speaking to a local publication, Mpilo Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya revealed that the woman died from loss of too much blood adding that there had been delays in seeking medical attention.

“We tried everything here, but it failed. She died on September 25,

“We had a highly competent medical team that operated on her when she got here. We had the doctors but there was not a lot they could do. She had bled too much and stabilisation efforts were in vain,” he said.

The incident comes against a backdrop of high maternal mortality rate in the country which is largely caused by poor medical facilities and delays in seeking medical care.

According to Fungisayi Dube of the Citizens Health Watch, the estimated maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the country is at 651 per 100 000 live deaths.